up, up and away. good morning. two-year low for the unemployment rate. gas prices climb higher. are we in for a record high summer at the pump. dramatic development. u.s. officials believe a retired fib agent who mysterious livan i shalled in iran four years ago is alive. but where is he and who's holding him? and what's so funny? the baby who can't stop laughing as his dad rips up a jobs rejection letter. nearly 6 million people laughed along with him online.

now he's brought his giggling to our studios today, friday, march 4, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a friday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm meredith vieira. i think i'm a million of those hits on youtube. he is so cute. he's right there. >> i know. he's a cute little boy and i have a feeling he'll be laughing -- people will be ripping paper in front of that little boy for the rest of his life. >> we need a laugh because gas prices are unbelievable. last time they went up this fast was in the wake of hurricane katrina. >> take a live look in new jersey. prices there are among the cheapest in the country. but drivers are not going to like this. the station is raising prices 17 cents this morning. why is gas going up and, by the way, why are stocks going up as well? what does that mean for the bottom line? we'll talk about what seem to be

mixed signals for the economy. coming up straight ahead. an emotional scene during key hearings in the casey anthony case. the florida woman accused of killing her own daughter broke down as her mother took the stand. we'll have details including why key evidence in the case may not be allowed at her trial. >> plus, bullying, a subject we have talked about a lot. a major concern for parents. you may have wondered how your kids would react if they came face to face with it. up next, actors put teens to the test and hidden cameras capture surprising results. we'll show you what happened. >> first a check of the morning's top stories from ann curry at the news desk. good morning. >> happy friday. >> happy friday. in the news this morning, rebels in east libya are holding onto their positions despite more air strikes overnight from moammar gadhafi's government. president obama delivered the strongest condemnation of gadhafi's regime so far saying the embattled leader must leave now and u.s. intervention could become necessary.

richard engel is in tripoli with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. witnesses tell us there are clashes under way on the outskirts of tripoli but the government remains in control of tripoli itself. it also restricts the movements of foreign journalists here and clearly doesn't want the world to see the violence. as journalists in tripoli gathered to leave our hotel this morning the order came. no coverage of anti-government demonstrations, not today. >> our image abroad is already bad because of unprofessional media reporting. one extra day will not harm us. >> reporter: the officials told reporters said protesters he called terrorists want to kill police and use car bombs and turn tripoli into baghdad. our presence, he said, would

only encourage them. libya doesn't want a repeat of last friday when protesters dared to gather in tripoli and were gunned down, causing a still unknown number of deaths and injuries. since then tripoli has been showing a very different image, a city that's open with markets thriving and the only people out are gadhafi supporters. today the government doesn't want journalists to distort the image with the truth. tensions just below the surface and a violent crackdown away from the cameras. moammar gadhafi has already lost control of eastern libya. his forces have launched multiple air strikes near benghazi. but so far they have been unable to dislodge anti-gadhafi rebels. the rebels have been growing their ranks, recruiting and training volunteers determined to topple moammar gadhafi and make the revolt so big the government can no longer try to

hide it. the government is now tightening its grip on tripoli. moammar gadhafi's biggest remaining stronghold and has set up checkpoints around the city. >> richard engel this morning. thank you. with an imminent shutdown, the white house has proposed a $6.5 billion in spending cuts to keep the government running through september 30. after scott walker there says he melee off state workers starting today. a court ordered cleared pro-union demonstrators from the capitol after more than two weeks of round-the-clock protests. democrats will be held in contempt if they do not show up to vote. >> harvard university is allowing rotc back on campus. the program was banned during the vietnam war but has been reinstated now that the ban on gays serving in the military has been lifted. mazda is recalling more than 65,000 of the mazda 6 car after

finding spiders in vents connected to the fuel tanks. they said spider webs could cause leaks and fires but they had no reports of related incidents. you can find out for about the recall at todayshow.com. that's a lot of spiders. the national football league and the players union extended the deadline to reach a collective bargaining agreement until midnight tonight. negotiators are hoping to extend talks. nasa's unmanned glory rocket launch failed early this morning. the rocket carrying a new multi-million dollar satellite had a major malfunction and didn't build up enough speed to reach orbit. it was like $424 million mission. there you go. 7:06. now back to matt, meredith and al. >> when those things come down, they leave a mark. >> it landed in the ocean near the antarctic. >> exactly. >> mr. roker, we are getting rain here over the weekend. >> not just some, but a lot of

rain in some areas. we'll worry about flooding. as we look at the radar it's just starting to get together. low pressure with a cold front. warm air ahead of it and cold air behind it causing showers and thunderstorms. we have flood watches and flash food watches from missouri up into new york state. rainfall amounts could be anywhere from two to three inches of rain locally over the next 24 hours. could be about five inches of rain in the upper ohio river valley which could cause flooding. as the system moves to the east it will bring heavier rain. parts of the carolinas, five inches or more up to new york state and northern new england and that will cause flooding. well, happy friday morning to you, bay area. you will love what mother nature has in store for us this afternoon. it is a little bit cold to

start. temperatures mostly in the upper 30s to low 40s. take a look at where we are headed, in the upper 60s across many bay area cities today. 63 in los gatos. 65 in fremont. and 65 degrees in oakland. we are expecting some rain by sunday night as the low pressure moves back in. but today looks good, tomorrow, 70 degrees. showers by 11:00 p.m. in the north bay. >> al, thank you very much. now the rising gas prices. the national average for a gallon of gas climbed four cents overnight to $3.47, up 36 cents in a month. it's a trend that's not expected to end any time soon. nbc's tom costello is in bethesda, maryland, with a look at where prices are heading. good morning. >> reporter: hi, matt. the short answer is $4 and above that. we haven't seen gas prices rise this quickly since september 2005 when hurricane katrina hit the gulf coast. across the country, the numbers just keep heading north.

$3.35, $3.49, $3.79, $3.89. in d.c. -- >> i just had a mild heart attack, but i'm better now. >> reporter: $3.65 on one side of the street and $4.55 on the other. >> i don't know why. it has always been high. >> nationwide you pick the station. the complaints sound the same. >> they're killing us. i'm out of work. i don't know how i'm going to afford to live. >> reporter: yesterday's national average for regular unleaded was $3.43 a gallon it's well above it in many cities. washington averaging $3.50, new york $3.68, chicago $3.61, seattle $3.57. san francisco and los angeles, averaging $3.85. meanwhile gas and oil prices continue to dominate the conversation on cnbc. >> i look for a pullback but we think oil is going higher. >> reporter: this is not all about the libyan crisis. with the global economy

improving oil prices have jumped since august from $75 a barrel to $100 a day. 33%. libya put it over the top. >> in many parts of the country $4 a gallon is inevitable because of the high price of crude oil entering those markets. it's possible to see $4.50 ale ing a gallon with a supply disruption throughout the middle east. >> reporter: that could be one reason atlanta's clean air campaign is reporting a huge jump in telecommuting. one in four working from home at least occasionally. for kristy atkins it's about avoiding the 70-mile round trip commute. >> at least one day a week. sometimes more. for me i save $30, $40 a week on gas. by telecommuting. >> reporter: back east you know the expression location, location, location. >> i made a bad decision about where to stop. >> reporter: $4.55 is in the shadow of the watergate and

customers are suspicious of the oil companies. >> i think they use the opportunity to make more money. >> reporter: well, the oil companies insist that all the prices are being bid higher in the global markets because of the global demand. the united states consumes 20 million barrels of oil a day, half imported. matt, i have done half a dozen of these stories the last week. i get e-mails every day, you missed our neighborhood, the highest in the nation. okay, we are hearing $4.99 in northern california. back to you. >> tom, thank you very much. maria bartiromo with us from "closing bell." let's talk about the oil prices or gas prices. not just up a tick. four cents overnight. some places 30 cents in a week. you take that money out of the pockets of consumers and small businesses, it has to have an impact. >> absolutely. it is having an impact.

you are seeing people spending more of their money on gasoline and that is sapping discretionary income and making them unable to buy other things. >> how much will this slowdown recovery everyone is talking about? >> it could be significant. we have to watch to see where gas goes next. we are going into the spring and summer season. seasonally we are going to see a pickup in terms of usage and demand. that's a negative. all of the speculation over the mideast trouble is also sending prices higher. >> when we talk about hopes for recovery in the economy, jobs comes right up. this morning labor department released new numbers and we have unemployment standing now at 8.9%. about 192,000 new jobs were added. that's good news for people. where are those jobs coming from? >> if news and positive. it is not enough, matt. we immediate to see this sustained and continue at this kind of pace. the jobs right now are coming in health care and there's real help wanted ads going on throughout health care. social services, infrastructure and definitely jobs right now in

technology. that's where the bulk of job creation has been. >> this is a trend occurring the last several months. do you see it continuing and can it sustain itself? >> it should be able to. corporate sector is doing very well. that's a positive and helping along. if companies get the cash they are sitting on and use the cash to hire workers that should be a positive. there is no reason that we should see that in reverse. then we have the housing market that's still slow. >> let's talk about that. barbara corcoran will be here in a little while to talk about her spring preview for housing. prices fell sharply at the end of 2010. what are you expecting? that's key to the recovery, too. >> very critical to the recov y recovery. problem is we have foreclosures in the pipeline. prices continue to go lower. this is the one area of the economy that has not participated in the recovery. this is going to take time. not going to turn overnight. i expect housing will be depressed for some time and means house prices have not stopped going down. >> that's bad news for people trying sell. the good news again, this morning, at least unemployment ticked down slightly to 8.9%.

jobs created and we hope to keep our fingers crossed and continues. thanks. >> thanks so much. >> appreciate it. let's get more now from meredith. u.s. officials say they have proof that a retired fbi agent that vanished in iran in 2007 may be alive. nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell has the latest on the cold case. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. next week will mark four years since robert levinson disappeared. now a ray of hope. word from secretary of state hillary clinton based on secret talks that there are indications he could be alive in southwest asia but u.s. officials don't know specifically where he's being held. being held. the 63-year-old former fbi man was last seen in mysterious kish island off the coast of iran in march 2007. family and friends say he was working for a private business client. then he dropped out of sight

until now. his frantic wife, now encouraged, spent years looking for clue, even traveling to iran, appealing to congress for help. >> i know my husband is missing. i want him home. >> our father is the greatest human being in the whole entire world to us. we're in so much pain living without him. >> reporter: they found an ally in the secretary of state. >> we continue to request iranian cooperation in resolving this matter and in ensuring his safe return to the united states. >> reporter: in tehran last september i asked iran's president ahmadinejad about levinson. is he alive? >> i should ask this question. i don't know. we don't know. how can we know that? we think if they sit and talk we can find -- according to our reports they say he left the kish islands, but we are here

for any humanitarian help. >> reporter: now for the first time in four year it is secretary of state has new information that levinson could be alive somewhere in southwest asia. in a statement she again appealed to iran for help. as the government of iran has previously offered assistance in this matter she wrote we respectfully request the government to safely return and reunite bob with his family. we would appreciate the iranian government's efforts in this matter. levinson's friends are thrilled with good news. >> i'm thrilled. we are all elated about it. we have been waiting four years to get some good news. we're just -- can't believe it. we're tickled to death. >> reporter: levinson's wife issued a statement saying our family is encouraged by the news bob is alive but remains concerned for his safety and well-being. bob suffers diabetes requiring

medicati medication. our children and grandchildren await the day we will be reunited. we ask for your prayers and support. >> reporter: iran has cooperated with the family and the family had a trip to iran. iranian organizations have worked with the family to find mr. levinson. a u.s. official confirms the state department has been working with tehran for the last few months. whatever iran has done, levinson's family hopes it leads to his return. >> thank you very much. it's 7:17. once again here's meredith. >> thank you. a california teenager reported missing for eight days has been found. police now believe she may have run away from home to escape an arranged marriage in pakistan. kristen welker is in apple valley, california, with details on the story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. 13-year-old jesse bender was found with a family member inside this motel on wednesday. they say jesse is safe and sound

but now her parents are under the microscope. it started last tuesday when 13-year-old jesse bender disappeared from her home in hysperia, california. her mother called police and told them she was afraid her daughter had run off with someone she'd met on facebook. >> i was learning she was talking to a lot of older guys on the computer and i didn't like it. >> reporter: fearing the teen was with an internet predator law enforcement launched a search. >> all of the law enforcement agencies were advised. the united states marshall's office, the fbi. >> reporter: after eight days detectives say the investigation led them to this motel in apple valley, 20 minutes from her house. police say inside they found jessie with a family member. >> she had shared that her mother and step-father were taking her to pakistan and going to involve her in an arranged marriage. >> reporter: melissa and mohammed, jessie's mother and

step-father say it's not true and claim they were not planning an arranged marriage in pakistan for jessie. >> we were not taking her there to get married at all. >> there was no arranged marriage. >> reporter: jessie's mother admits they were planning a trip to pakistan but said she wanted to visit her husband's homela. >> she could go with us. if she did meet somebody that was fine. maybe when she was 17, 18, 20, 30, 60 if she wanted to get married she could do it. >> reporter: authorities removed the teen and her siblings from the home while they investigate. they say the mother's claims that she was with a predator wasted time and resources. >> jessie's mother misled investigators. >> reporter: even family members are questioning melissa. >> i knew something was fishy about this. >> reporter: melissa and mohammed stand by initial statements to police and say the joy of finding jessie is

tempered by the uncertain future facing their family. >> i feel good she's safe and okay and good and well. i'm also devastated that i don't have my kids with me right now. >> i just want my kids back. >> reporter: now officials at the sheriff's department say all of the children are with protective services while they continue their investigation. at this point no charges have been filed but investigators plan to speak with every adult who may have been involved with this incident. matt? >> kristen welker in apple valley, california, this morning, thank you very much. it's 20 minutes after the hour. here's meredith. >> thank you. brigham young university is in the spotlight for more than just the basketball team's play on the court. a player was apparently suspended for having premarital sex. >> reporter: it was byu's best season ever and brandon davies was partly the reason.

the 6'9" sophomore electrified the court as one of the leading scorers. this week byu shocked fans by bouncing him off the team, not for a criminal offense but a personal one. >> this involved a serious infraction. it certainly was not for something minor. >> reporter: the infraction? byu won't say. but from sports talk shows to the nation's sports pages it's been reported that davies was booted for having premarital sex. >> players get kicked out of school all the time but not for the things that byu players do and theirs ends up on the front page snarks. >> reporter: it may not sound like a headline on college campuses but at byu, that's a violation of the honor code, something the school administrators take more seriously than even a potentially historic season. >> it's not about right and wrong. this is about commitment. >> reporter: the honor code is a reflection of the lds church.

mormons run the private university. not only does the code require students to live a chaste life which the school says premarital sex is not, but it also insists that students abstain from tea, coffee and use clean language. >> we understand that people across the country might think this is foreign to them. they are shocked and surprised. but for us we deal with this quite often. >> reporter: reno mahe learned the hard way. he was sidelined from the football team. he went on to play for the eagles and says looking back it was a good thing. >> a lot of schools say they have codes. i don't think anyone enforces it the way byu does. >> reporter: students say the message isn't intolerance of sex orca feen or anything else. it's about sticking to a promise, no matter the cost. >> people do get away with bad things but that doesn't make it right. >> reporter: college sports.

but students know at byu the school practices what it preaches. for "today," lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. >> coming up, the baby who couldn't stop laughing as his unemployed dad rips up a job rejection letter. we'll meet him and his mom and dad. first this is "today" on nbc. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles in 3 days-- i can do that.

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just ahead why key evidence in the casey anthony case could be thrown out before the trial for allegedly killing her own daughter begins. ailnd>>hel w tou h>>siou mng h pick up in the spring? we'll ask barbara corcoran after your local news and weather. t

good friday morning to you. it is 7:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. work is taking part on the bay bridge right now. crews are making serious headway. christie smith is live with new information for us this morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, laura. the tower is the centerpiece of the new bay bridge, not just for the iconic look but it is designed to move in the event of an earthquake. the fourth section is up ahead of schedule, supposed to be done. instead it was completed about 1:25 this morning. again, this is the fourth section of bringing the tower to 480 feet tall. when it is all complete it will be 525 feet tall.

there's a cable saddle here in oakland ready to be installed in april, which will round out the top. caltrans is telling us it was the clear weather that helped them get ahead in moving the legs. each one made a 500 tons of steel. the bridge is set to open in 2013, four to six months ahead of schedule. >> that's such a rare thing these days. thank you, kristy. we want to get a check on the forecast now with christina. >> good morning to you. well, this morning looks really, really good. we don't have a lot of fog. we had dense fog up in the north bay, but things seem to be improving dramatically as time goes on. we are in the 40s to start you out this morning. grab a jacket. we do have some 30s mixed in as well. but you'll want something to take off later on as our temperatures head towards 70 degrees today in santa rosa and los gatos. we'll check your drive on a friday with mike inouye. well, christina, typically friday light except for here on northbound 101. instead of that heading up to

680 you want to use 85 to 87 because of that problem over at tully road. there's a convoy on the side with a truck that can't make the convoy turn. the bridge will be in the middle lanes with crews heading out there. we'll follow this and the bay bridge toll plaza, the metering lights are on. the backup is just starting to form. an accident is on the east shore freeway at university. watch for that, laura. we sure will. check back with you in a half hour when we have another local news update for you. the "today" show is back in less than two minutes. have a great friday morning.

7:30 now on this friday morning, march 4, 2011. you are looking at the view of manhattan from the top of the rock. pretty sight for the final day of the work week. i'm meredith vieira along with matt lauer. coming up the baby putting a smile on the faces of millions of people worldwide. >> that's micah mcarthur, star of one of the hottest youtube videos now laughing hysterically as his unemployed father rips up a job rejection letter. micah is in the house, checking himself out on the monitor. we'll talk to his parents about the funny video. >> it's the best.

plus latoya jackson calls herself the maverick of the jackson family. she's taking on a new challenge now on "celebrity apprentice." we'll talk to her about that and the latest developments in the case of her brother motorcycich death. >> we all fly a lot. are you afraid of germs and bed bugs? what you can do to avoid leaving the next flight with cold, flu or unwanted guests. >> on the casey anthony case prosecuting attorneys and lawyers are laying the ground work for the case. kerry sanders has the latest. good morning, kerry. >> reporter: well, good morning, meredith. for the past two days and again today lawyers will argue what evidence they believe the jury should hear when this trial begins in may. if convicted, casey anthony of murdering her 2-year-old daughter the prosecutors say they plan to ask for the death

penalty. >> are you the mother? >> reporter: 24-year-old casey anthony tried to hold her composure as her mother took the stand. at issue, when did police first arrest her? >> they handcuffed her in the driveway. >> reporter: two years ago police found out kaley was missing when century di called 911. she had sot seen her for 31 days and called police after becoming suspicious when she checked the car her daughter was driving. >> it smells like there's been a dead body in the car. >> when you called the sheriff's office you wanted them to speak with your daughter, correct? >> yes. >> you wanted them to ask her questions about where kaley was. >> reporter: but cindy testified she didn't think her daughter was a suspect. it was argued detectives blundered handcuffing casey and putting her in a cruiser.

investigators admit she was never read her miranda rights. >> that entire time you didn't mirandize her. >> correct. >> lawyers say a jury should never hear what she said including a story of a babysitter who had taken her daughter. legal experts say prosecutors may have a problem. >> if the police blew it on miranda some of the most important evidence in the case could be gone. >> also at issue whether jurors should hear conversation between casey and her family. >> do you want to talk to law enforcement? >> yes and no. >> reporter: on thursday, casey's father george encouraged them to get casey to talk behind bars. the defense wants the conversations thrown out saying the family was used to get evidence against casey. >> you loved your grand daughter more than anything i the world. >> yes. >> you would have done anything

to help find her? >> yes. >> and you love your daughter more than anything in the world? >> yes. >> and you would do anything to protect her? >> yes. >> she is your baby? >> reporter: this hearing was supposed to last two days. it's already extended to today and may continue into next week. before the judge rules on what evidence a jury will and most importantly won't hear. meredith? >> kerry sanders, thank you so much. tara knight is a defense attorney. good morning. >> good morning. >> the trial is set for may but what's happening in florida could be pivotal. >> absolutely. this is a circumstance shall

case. every building block is important. they don't have an eyewitness to the crime, so each building block is important. if any building block is thrown out of the case it will be a problem for the prosecution. >> part of what's being argued in court now is statements that asi anthony made right after her daughter disappeared two years ago. and whether she made them as a suspect or as a mother who was obviously worried about her daughter who was missing. that's a very important distinction. >> it is. if you are a suspect in custody you are entitled to what's called miranda rights, the rights we hear on the crime shows where the police tell you you have the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, the right to stop answering questions. if you are not given those rights then anything you say to the police could be suppressed atle trial. >> she was not given those rights. the defense says what's important is she was hand cuffed on the day her daughter was

reported missing. that means at that point she was a suspect. prosecution said no, that is not the case. >> correct. not every suspect is entitled to miranda rights. the lynchpin is whether or not the suspect was in custody. the issue of whether or not casey was in custody is going to be litigated. >> the minutes they put on the handcuffs doesn't mean you are in custody? >> no. it would common sense wise mean she is in custody but that's not how it works. you see motions to supress in the crime shows and they are always granted on tv. but not so in the real world. custody is a situation that is determined by a number of factors. whether or not she felt free to leave, whether or not the police told her she was under arrest, whether or not they offered her something to drink, whether or not guns were drawn. it is not simply a matter of putting someone in handcuffs and releasing her apparently as in this case. >> they are also examining conversations between casey anthony while she was in jail and her family.

the defense said they were almost coerced by the prosecution -- i'm sorry, by law enforcement to talk to the daughter to get info from her and therefore they were agents of the state. talk to me about that distinction. >> when someone invokes the right to council, it's a 6th amendment right. if i have a lawyer the police are supposed to stop questioning you. the police can't then do an end round around the rule and deputize someone to do what they are not allowed to do under the law. >> how do they prove that? >> they do what they are doing show now. they get people to say as casey's family is doing apparently that this is what the police told me to do. they knew theyle couldn't talk to her themselves because she had an attorney so they asked me to go and stand in their stead and question her in their place. >> if what she said to the police right after her daughter went missing and the testimony about what parents said to her

in jail, if that's thrown out that's going to damage the prosecution's case, isn't it? >> it would be devastating to the prosecution's case, but the prosecution in my estimation won't throw the case out. this case is so egregious they would rather try it and lose it rather than throw it out on their own volition. what it might do is bring the parties back to the bargaining table. as we know there are plea bargains, dispositions short of trial. this might be a way for the defense to go to the prosecutor and say, hey, maybe something less than death or life in parole is warranted. >> now a check of the weather from al. >> good morning, meredith. got a nice group of people here on a senior trip. [ cheers and applause ] >> they are from lexington, kentucky. having a good time. how long are you in town? >> a couple of days. >> saturday. >> we have a little bit of wet weather when you leave.

let's see what's happening. saturday we have showers working their way toward new york. the good news is with the heavy rain in western new york into the gulf there could be flooding, wet weather also in the pacific northwest. frigid in between. on sunday, more heavy rain along the east coast. snow and rain in the pacific northwest. sunny and cold from the great lakes down into the mississippi river valley. mild in texas and warm in the southwest. it is a chilly start in the bay area, but you'll be happy in the direction that our temperatures are headed later on today, towards 70 degrees in santa rosa and oakland. expect a forecasting high around 65 degrees, mostly sunny conditions for today. then we have another round of rain on the way just in time for the second half of your weekend. saturday looks even warmer. just a little bit more cloud cover, 70 degrees. have a fantastic friday and a great weekend, bay area.

don't forget. you can check your weather day or night on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. meredith? >> al, thank you very much. up next, with home prices predicted to drop even further will spring be a good time for buying or selling your home? expert advice right after this. but then...someone lit the flame. plain rode away on lion's mane. where plain met fruits with strangely names. such wonderful things they did contain. a shot of life to a hungry vein. the captive beast who broke the chain. and there upon that fruited plain is where plain became what plain became so much more than more than plain. plain will never be the same.

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back now at 7:43. this morning on today's real estate will spring be a good time to buy or sell? home prices fell 4.1% at the end of 2010. one economist said prices could plunge 15, 20, 25%. what does it mean for you? barbara corcoran, good morning. nice to see you. >> good morning. >> is that a doom's day scenario oral realistic? >> i think they are dead wrong. i don't agree with it at all. if you look at the major markets in the u.s. over 100 markets, more than half have come off the

bottom and prices are rising. >> here's a stat that caught my attention. foreclosures. they sell at about 30% less than regular homes and sales of foreclosed homes accounted for 37% of all transactions in january. that is sad and stunning. >> it's sad and frightening. you expect more bad things to happen. if you break down the numbers the foreclosure numbers are worse in some states like las vegas, for example. two of three homes are foreclosed. but what you have to realize in many of the states they have very low foreclosure rates and in some of the states the numbers are getting smaller and smaller. >> you seem to be optimistic. is one of the reasons you are optimistic that interest rates remain low? >> they're not going to stay low for long. they are at a healthy 5% now. if we have a demise of fannie mae and freddie mac you can bet your bottom dollar the rate wills move up quickly. >> let's talk about people who like to time things. >> oh, the experts.

>> right now they are sitting on the sidelines because they are hearing from some of the economists that the prices are going lower. in disagreement with you. so is it a bad idea in your opinion to wait for lower prices? >> i think you're playing with fire if you wait it out. even if you're living in a marketplace with prices tumbling you have tremendous negotiating power. you could bid low, negotiate hard and ask for extras, provided you have the wherewithal or the personality to do it. remember, your market doesn't ever stay low for long. once it turns, it turns quickly. >> if we look at the other side of the coin one piece of advice for people trying to sell a home is to price ahead of the market. how do you do that? >> easy to do. if the prices are falling you want to price your home 5% less than the last similar house that sold. if prices are rising, take advantage of it and price your house 5% above that similar house. >> for people who live in places where prices are falling if

you're a seller that seems doom and gloom. you encourage people to see it as the glass half full. if you buy a house you get the same reduction. >> well, the one seller out there that's the luckiest one in the universe is someone who wants to trade up for a better neighborhood or school district. you may take 10% less on your house but you will get a 10% discount on the next house and be ahead of the game. >> one reason you think things are looking better is you are seeing activity at open houses. >> open house numbers you have to watch. they won't be reported in the news until sales until three months out and you have missed the corridor of a buying opportunity. open houses are up and even homes that have been languishing for months are getting multiple bids. i think there is a bellwether change going on and you are crazy to pass it by. >> barbara, good to have you here. >> thank you. >> 46 after the hour. up next, the baby that can't stop laughing.

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which transitions lenses are right for you. back now at 7:49 with the baby boy whose laugh has taken the internet by storm, all prompted by his father ripping up a job rejection letter. take a look. [ ripping ] [ laughter ] >> well, he's not laughing, but we are. 10-month-old micah mcarthur and his parents are with us this morning. good morning. >> good morning. >> four and a half million

people have viewed this on youtube. who would have thunk it? >> not us. this is actually the first video we ever posted to youtube. i did it a few hours after i taped it. i thought, this is so good. instead of sharing it just with family and friends i'll post it on youtube and share it with everyone. >> you had no idea micah would react this way. >> that's right. we had never done the paper ripping thing at all. he was next to me on the couch. i was opening the mail. got a job rejection letter. i'm finishing my ph.d. in american history. he started laughing next to me which is great. lifted my spirits. so i thought, okay, grab the camera and tape it to send to mom at work. he just went crazy. >> glad you had the camera. >> absolutely. >> 5.5 million people at the latest count. >> five now? >> i think 5.5 million have watched it. does that surprise you? >> oh, of course. it's been up five weeks now.

three weeks into it, it had 1,013 views. we thought that was great. we don't know that many people. 5.5 million doesn't make sense. >> is he over the joke or will he still respond? >> it's hit and miss. we can try it. sometimes it's hilarious. other times -- >> not so much. >> he likes sneezing, by the way. >> yeah. [ ripping ] >> try this. ah-choo! [ baby giggling ] >> we finally found someone to laugh at meredith's jokes. >> have you found a job? >> no. i'm still searching for a job. >> he'll definitely get one, for sure. >> probably a better chance of him getting one. >> you're thinking baby food commercials and things like that? >> it would be great to build his college fund in some way

and, you know -- >> pay for my college as well. >> he's brightened up a lot of people's lives. he's a beautiful baby. thank you so much. marcus and amanda as well. ust jahead, latoya jackson after your local news. st stop. won't take me that long. honey, is this really necessary? it'll bug me if i wait. [ female announcer ] walgreens free mobile app. refill by scan. receive a text when it's ready. we're good. wanna call anyone or anything? your mom? a little more altitude... a little less attitude. [ female announcer ] download the free walgreens mobile app to shop, print photos and manage prescriptions anywhere. walgreens. there's a way to keep life moving. make sure you give it something that counts. i love quaker oatmeal, it's seriously a superfood. it's fuel that your body needs to get going. this stuff is a game changer. and now it's better than ever.

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good friday morning to you. it is 7:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. we now know the body of a missing man found under a barbecue patio is that of dale smith. right now investigators call his wife a person of interest. police say the case could be anything from a homicide to an improp earn disposal of human remains, which is a misdemeanor. san mateo county says it is better prepared to deal with mentally-ill people in the wake of a deadly officer-involved shooting. officers are wrapping up an intensive four-day training course designed to infuse situations involving those with mental illness. the sessions also gave officers communication techniques and trained them to recognize

post-traumatic stress disorder. the course comes days after police shot and killed a mentally-ill man in his backyard after he fired a gun at officers. we'll switch gears to look at the forecast with christina. >> we have a zbleat great looking morning on tap, laura. right now we are at 36 degrees in napa. gilroy, just a few degrees above freezing, but as the sun is now up it is going to warm us up to about 65 degrees in oakland. 63 nor san francisco. and 67 degrees in fairfield. even warmer for tomorrow. then we have another weather maker on the way. it looks like low pressure is going to bring heavy showers our way on sunday. 67 degrees today. 70 tomorrow. you can't beat the first part of this weekend. let's check your drive to see how we are looking with mike. well, christina, 880 slowing down near the san ma today mateo and dumbarton bridges. here's video of the accident at the toll plaza.

it is a truck on its side past the toll plaza. nobody is injured and i don't know how much money is in the truck, but the fire crew just left recently. a heavy-zutty toll truck is just arriving, but the two lanes will be cleared while they clear that. that was taken from our chopper a few minutes ago. we still have a slow drive northbound approaching tully road. use 85 and 87 to get around it. it is very slow near the approach. we'll keep our eye on that accident. thank you, mike. 7:58 right now. another local news update for you in a half hour. the "today" show is back in less than a minute. have a great friday morning.

8:00 now on a friday morning, the 4th day of march, 2011. kind of a chilly morning here in the northeast. but we've got a huge crowd of people gathered out on our plaza enjoying bright, sunny skies. that's always nice. 28 degrees on a friday. i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira and mr. al roker. nice to have you folks here. good to see you. a pleasure. coming up this half hour, another look at a subject we have been dealing with a lot. this one's bullying. >> most parents know about

bullying but what do you do when they are not in your eyesight? actors put unsuspecting teens to the test as their parents watched from another room. the parents didn't know it. >> also ahead, latoya jackson is here. we'll talk to her about the upcoming season of "celebrity apprentice," her career and other topics in the news. we'll get to that in a little while. >> from the commercials she looks like a tough cookie. taking no prisoners. >> there are a lot of tough cookies this season. >> probably a dozen tough cookies. a baker's dozen maybe. we have something special going on next week. a lot of folks -- i have always wondered, say i'm doing a cooking segment or interview, what's matt or meredith doing? >> in the bathroom. that's where he is. >> i'm getting older. >> this isn't the direction we wanted to go in. >> where do you want to go? >> next tuesday while we are on the air, kathie lee and hoda

will host a show live on our website showing you what happens behind the scenes from the control room to meredith's dressing room, the makeup room, loading dock which is the same as meredith's dressing room, you will get a 360-view of "today" on air. tune in and log on tuesday morning starting at 7:30 to see us like never before. by the way, it's my understanding that as part of the program meredith will tweet for the very first time ever. >> oh, they're making me do this. >> that's nice and encouraging. for all the people who follow meredith on twitter or want to, she's looking forward to it. >> i am. >> we'll debut the revamped website. >> that's exciting. it's going to be fun. >> despite the fact you say they are putting a gun to your head to do it. let's go inside. ann is at the news desk with the headlines. >> once again, good morning. we have the news now.

it's a day of confrontation in and around libya's capitol city. teargas was fired at hundreds of anti-government protesters who rallied inside the city. journalists were banned from the demonstration. a german prosecutor say it is man accused of killing two u.s. airmen put hissen gun to the head of another airman but it jammed when he pulled the trigger. the 21-year-old suspect from kosovo was inspired by militant islam but acted alone. a former fbi agent who vanished in iran four years ago may be alive. secretary of state hillary clinton said on thursday there are indications that 63-year-old robert levinson who was working as a private investigator is being held in southwest asia. she's appealing to iran to help find him. former house speaker newt gingrich announced he's exploring a run for president. nbc's chief white house

correspondent chuck todd joins us with more on this. how might this affect the race? >> reporter: four years ago there were 17 candidates. right now until this week there are none that have got nn the race. newt gingrich's semi-announcement may finally open the candidate flood gates. former house speaker newt gingrich is now the highest profile republican to officially begin exploring a presidential run. >> we believe that america's best years are ahead of us. >> reporter: in the latest nbc news poll he ranked only behind mike huckabee and mitt romney in a match-up. but gingrich was chased out of the speakership after the gop's disappointing showing in the 1998 midterm election. that may contribute to bad poll numbers he has in a match-up with president obama. he trailed the president by 19 points in a january nbc news wall street journal survey. other republicans are playing it coy. mike huckabee is using a book

tour to keep his presidential options open. he caused controversy claiming he misspoke about the president's upbringing on a radio show. >> one thing i do know is his having grown up in kenya, his view of the brits, for example, very different than the average american. >> reporter: the next day he went back on the show to defend himself. >> i misspoke saying kenya instead of indonesia shrks there is a cattle call of candidates going to palm beach florida to talk to the economic group the club for growth. >> all right. thanks, chuck todd, for your report this morning. a protest at the university of california berkeley ended peacefully last night after police were called to campus. students occupied part of a building to draw attention to state education budget cuts. a high school basketball star collapsed and died last night minutes after scoring the winning basket in overtime to complete the team's perfect season. 15-year-old wes leonard was also

the quarterback at michigan's fenville high school. the cause of the death is under investigation. in ohio a bill to limit the power of employee unions advances next week. it's been approved by the senate and has strong support from the governor. here's a mystery 67 years in the making. a letter mailed during world war ii has finally arrived last month at camp roberts in california. it's addressed to miss r.t. fletcher at the hospital. the camp historian is searching for miss fletcher but is struggling having only her first initials and only her full name. no one has opened the letter out of respect for her privacy. if you are out there, give us a call. it's 8:06. now back out to al for the weather. >> ann, thanks a lot. i am 9 but it's pointing at your

shoes. oh, that's how it works. what's your name? >> thomas reilly? >> and you're with your brother? >> yeah. >> let's check your weather and see what's happening. we'll show you for today, buffalo, new york, shuffling off to buffalo. that's a fabulous place. we have wet weather there. as you look we have the system making its way across the mid section of the country bringing warm air ahead, cold air behind. we have flood watches working from tupalo, mississippi to new york. rainfall two to three inches over the next 24 hours. you go to the northeast and we are talking rainfall for the next 72 hours, three to five inches of rain. good morning, to you. well, it's still relatively chilly in our neck. woods. it's warming up rapidly now that the sun is out and we're headed

toward 70 degrees in some cities. i'm going 70 in san martine. 63 in san francisco. the south bay will be the warmest. tomorrow looks even better. temperatures approaching 70 degrees. then the rain arrives late saturday into sunday. dropping our temperatures to 57 degrees for the second half of the weekend. mr. matt lauer. >> thank you very much. when we come back, think your kids would never get involved in bullying? some actors put some unsuspecting teens to the test. wait until yout. see what the "dateline" cameras found after these messages. [ male announcer ] those with frequent heartburn

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>> reporter: the question, what will the p bystanders, kids watching do? >> an expert on mean girls says it matters more than you think. >> bystanders are the most critical part of stopping bullying. >> we invited teenage girls to what they think is a shoot about fashion led by "today" style editor bobbi thomas. the girls don't know the bullies and victim are acting or that their parents are watching. >> i'm katie. i'm 14. >> reporter: katie's mother says they talk about bullying all the time. >> how do you want to live, what friends do you want. >> reporter: what will happen today? >> if you knew anything about fashion you would know horizontal stripes are a no a big no. a big no. >> reporter: they all snickered at that and watch what katie does. >> i feel like in 2011 you might get shocked. >> katie's laughing.

it's not that we haven't had these conversations. >> it's also acknowledging the power of older girls. >> reporter: i tell katie and the others it's all an act. >> we felt like we had to go along with -- >> the pretty, popular girl in the turquoise. >> reporter: she said she's learned something valuable. >> i'm going to thing about what happened here and bring it into my real life to make sure that i don't act the way i acted today. >> reporter: we try again with a new group. >> hi. i'm lily. >> lily is a unique young lady. >> reporter: lily's mother thinks her girl will speak up and she's right. >> i think i need to have some input in it, right? >> she does need to have input. what did she say? team work. >> look at lily. >> she's getting angry. >> reporter: lily doesn't like the bullies and it shows.

>> nice language. >> when the grown-up comes in to check lily tells it like it is. >> everyone feels included in this? >> no. >> no? >> amy and her daughter lily who tells it like it is, and the author of boys and girls and bobbi thomas all participated in kate's report. good morning to you all. lily, you really took them on. have you experienced that in your own life in the past? >> yeah. i have been bullied since about 3rd grade. you don't feel good about yourself, but to not have anyone even wanting to stand up for you let alone invite you over to their house. you feel worthless. so i felt like i wanted to let her know that i know that she's doing wrong and that the bully wasn't doing the right thing. i think -- i might have overreacted a little bit.

but i think it's better -- >> your heart was in the right place. you weren't scared at all. amy, you're watching this unfold and i'm sure you have talked to your daughter about bullying in the past. >> many times. >> you never know what they are going to do. we saw katie, a nice kid. >> sure. that was my fear. i didn'tle really fear it until i was sitting in the chair with the monitors and i got a look at the beautiful girls i knew were going to play the role of bullies and i thought, they're older girls, charismatic, will lily want to be part of that group and forget? >> you raise a point about the pressure kids are under. you deal with this all the time. >> yeah. i think a lot of parents want their children to do the right thing. they think i'm teaching the right values. what's important is it shows it's not enough to teach your kid values. you have to show what it looks like in action. if kids get into a situation where kids are older, charismatic and you don't want to do anything and you feel

paralyzed sometimes that you need the skills to do in the moment when you are feeling scared. >> you almost need to role play with the kids? >> and practice. a lot of parents said, i want my kid to be neutral. in the situation of a bully it's not neutral. it looks like you are siding with the bully. >> you weren't surprised by this. you see a connection between fashion and bullying. >> teens are exploring their identity. i love your sparkle shoes. >> thank you. >> they are experimenting with fashion and the irony is that while kids want to stand out you want to fit in. that's a tough balance and it sets you township to be vulnerable. unfortunately clothing can be a target. i hate that it's used that way. it's an awesome way to empower a young girl and feel confident about who you are. >> is it getting worse? >> i think parents feel like -- i think a lot of parents feel i

have taught my child to be the right thing but they don't focus on the actions. we have to do that and realize that no matter what our kids will see people abuse power. there is no way your child can escape this. so you have to be able to talk to your child. they could be a bystander, target or perpetrator. >> lily, what would you say to kids who might come upon this? >> to kids being bullied, when i was being bullied everyone would say, lily, don't take it so seriously, it's only high school or middle school. but you don't have to take it seriously or personally because they're just angry people. that's the way they are going to be. that doesn't mean you shouldn't do anything. you should always, you know, tell at least your parents -- >> speak out. >> yeah. just tell people. if they are still not stopping you need to say, listen, i didn't do anything to you. you need to stop it.

i don't know what i did. just tell me what i did so i can apologize and we can get along. which is what i tried to do the other day. >> you're a great role model. and bullying doesn't just involve girls. there are boys as well. >> we looked at boys. you will see a scenario with boys in a gym, too. no fashion this time. we had them doing athletic things and the boy in the stripes is an actor, the victim pretending not to be athletic. also is gay in real life and has been bulliebullied. it's more physical with the boys. the role of the coach coming in and out to tell them what to do is to coach condoned what's happening versus if the coach said, i'm not going to stand for that made all the difference. we as parents and adults set the tone. >> absolutely. thank you very much. lily, i have a lily of my own.

>> cool. >> you can s the special "my kid would never bully" an nbc. an next, latoya jackson after this. when your eyes are smiling... you're smiling. and when they're laughing... you're laughing. be kind to your eyes... with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably... and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you. but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind?

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we are back at 8:21. the new season of "celebrity apprentice" premiers sunday on nbc. the cast includes latoya jackson who found out facing the donald in the boardroom can be a little intimidatin intimidating. >> our team name is asap. >> does that mean as soon as possible? >> no, actually it doesn't. it means actors, singers, authors, performers with a purpose. >> it's artists. >> artist -- >> and professionals. >> singers, actors. >> authors. i'm sorry. artists, singers, authors and performers with a purpose. >> professionals. i keep forgetting professionals. >> don't worry about it. >> what does asap mean? >> it's so funny to look at that. it's artists, singers, actors with a purpose and professionals with a purpose. i named the team and then it was switched because i felt we were

all actors and it was switched to something quite differently. i had a mindset. once i get a mindset, that's it. >> you don't seem like a type that's easily intimidated. is it nerve wracking in the boardroom? >> you know, matt, that was our first time in the presence of trump in the boardroom. it came out and i was just like, and once i got nervous nothing was computing at that point. >> let me go through the cast. meatloaf, richard hatch, david cassi cassidy, you. there are a lot of possible train wrecks. did you know any of these people? >> i knew dionne warwick and two others a little bit. just a little bit. not a lot. yeah. it was an incredible cast as you saw. >> there is camaraderie and there will come a time you have to roll up your sleeves and you have to have sharp elbows. >> oh, yeah. >> is that in your personality? >> when you have to have it, yes, absolutely. but you're against very strong

personalities, as you well know. you have to stand up to people. we're there for a purpose, of course. that purpose was for our different charities. >> they strip everything away. it's a level playing field. what was it like to sell pizza on the streets of manhattan? >> oh, my. that was so different. what i like about the show is you're in a different element and settings you're not used to. i have been in show business all my life. working a regular job was difficult and different. it was interesting. very exciting trying to get people to buy pizza. >> this is reality tv. let's talk reality. i want your reaction. we got word yesterday that the trial of dr. conrad murray, the man facing involuntary manslaughter charges relating to the death of your brother michael has been postponed. are you looking forward to the trial? >> absolutely. >> why? >> i want to know what took place and what happened. i hope they are fair with everything. justice should be served and i

will always say this, matt, i have said it from day one, dr. murray was the fall guy. >> you say your brother was murdered. >> he was. >> on what do you base that? >> i have reason to say that. i wouldn't say that if i didn't feel that it wasn't true. he also told me, so there you have it as well. >> do you think it will come out in the trial or is this a sideshow? >> i'm thinking that's what it is. actually, that's what i said. i said this is not fair, not right. they know the truth is right here. it's like a magician showing you this hand and the tricks are right here. it's sad. >> quickly in the time i have left you have a new book coming out in the fall. according to the publisher it will be an explosive tell-all revealing the inner workings of the jackson family and michael's tortured soul. is your family on board with this? >> this is interesting that you're telling me i have a book

coming out. >> do you have a book coming out? >> do i have a book coming out? i don't know. i'm not at liberty to say that. >> that's hedging a bet there. we'll find out what happens. ni good friday morning, 8:26. we're learning about a tentative agreement between san jose firefighters and the city. it would help san jose with the huj budget deficit. live at a stir station with what's happening, marla. >> reporter: the san jose firefighter union could be setting the tone for the city's other employee unions. it has reached a tentative deal with the city. firefighters agreeing to take a 10% cut in pay and benefits to avoid further layoffs and to help the city. mayor chuck reed is facing a $10

5 million deficit for the fiscal year coming up on july 1st. the proposed deal would last for two years, expiring june 30th of 2013. it's not official yet. all of the city's firefighters have to approve it and that vote is expected to happen this coming weekend. then it has to be approved by the city council. that's the latest from here. now back to you. >> thanks so mu.chmuch. we'll keep tabs on all of that. the moment you feel run down or achy nip flu-like symptoms

in the bud, with oscillococcinum. get oscillo and feel like yourself again. oscillococcinum, nip it in the bud.

welcome back. south bay commuters, this spectator slowing. this is a scene taken from our chopper. the white truck carrying some sort of satellite equipment stuck at the tully road off-ramp. you'll see a bunch of chp officers. they can't get that under the overpass or get it it off. it will be there for quite some time 85 to 87 is your alternate because of this slowing. >> i can see how that woulde ba distraction. we'll be back.

8:30 on this friday morning, march 4, 2011. a nice big crowd out here on the plaza. we just might have to declare this the start of a rolling spring break. what do you think, al? >> it's early. no, it is. >> usually we're willing to start that in january. >> absolutely. >> okay. coming up -- >> you're on spring break

apparently. but she's back. >> just ahead -- i was enjoying that kid. this is serious. paula abdul's emotional call to 911. you can hear her crying for dispatchers to help her escape a man's car. >> also ahead, bobby flay is with us, the great chef. it's nice to have him here. he has a new show coming on nbc. the search for the next great restaurant. he'll tell us about that and share a cool restaurant inspired by that. >> it's been 11 years since bobby was on the show. >> we have issues with him. >> he was out in the wilderness on cbs. >> oh! >> he's back. >> okay. >> also coming up, you know the academy awards were sunday? the dresses are already out, you guys. the knock-offs are already out

and you can get the look for much less. we'll show you what's available already. >> and you and i are kind of germ freaks. germaphobes. >> kind of? >> very much so. we purell every chance we get. what about on the plane and you worry about germs floating around. there is all kinds of stuff. you're in a cigar tube. >> i sometimes use one of the wet wipes for the handles and the armrests. >> absolutely. we do. >> yes! >> we're going to -- >> so bad. >> we'll show you how to be germ-free on a plane. >> you need germs. >> helps the immune system. >> let them get sick. you tell us about the weather. >> what's the segment about? i'm confused. >> how to avoid germs on the plane. >> hold your breath. short flight. >> right. >> let's talk weather. >> i purell the flight

attendants. let's show you what's going on for the weekend. we have heavy rain in northern california. heavy rain, a risk of strong storms in the lower gulf. rain to western new york. sunny and frigid in the plains. mild through texas. sunday we have more heavy rain along the east coast where we could see flooding on sunday. some place picking up three to five inches of rain. mountain snows through the cascades, the sierra and the bitter root mountains. that's what's going on around well, we've just fallen out of that bitter cold range. now we are in the 40s. close to 50 degrees already in san francisco. we are going to see a gorgeous day in the bay. if you can get outside and enjoy it, i highly recommend you do so. good air quality. temps in the upper 60s today. a little bit warmer for tomorrow. then the showers arrive as we head into your sunday. better day for outdoor plans this weekend will be saturday, 70 degrees.

don't forget. you can check your weather any time day or night on the weather channel on cable, weather.com online. you can find out about the twinsburg public library, number one in the country. now let's head down to florida to say hello to uncle willy scott. >> how sweet. we'll find out if it will be a bad march, snowing or a good one with spring and birds and all that stuff. happy birthday from smuckers. take a look at the pride of orville, ohio this morning. this is anna henderson of philadelphia, pennsylvania. she's 111. oldest citizen in philadelphia. went to the polls and voted in 2008 but didn't say for who. that's her business. oxnard, california, ken seaton. 102. lives independently and maintains a fig tree.

if you have tasted a fresh fig, you know why. absolutely delicious. and we have genevieve tilghman from maryland. enjoys dining out, and playing bingo. evelyn matranga of new york city. a very fine lady who loves life. a lifetime member of her church. still likes to read the bible. happy birthday to cape cod, massachusetts's anne theroux. loves to read and knit. her secret to longevity is watching the moon rise on cape cod. we have joseph and marion epler. they have been married ten

years. their birthdays are just a few days apart. and finally frances may of new york is 100. loves her family so much. they all love each other. that's all. now back to new york city where the crew loves each other. >>le willard, thank you very much. now to a frantic 911 call placed by paula abdul from a car on a california highway. mara schiavocampo has the details. >> reporter: for former "american idol" judge paula abdul, this past valentine's day was short on love. [ crying ] >> reporter: that's abdul crying hysterically on the phone with a 911 operator. the audio is from an emergency call she made from a moving car the afternoon of february 14th. abdul tells the operator she's on a california highway and the driver won't let her go. >> i want out of this car and he won't let me.

>> reporter: the driver, the website tmz reports it was abdul's boyfriend. on the tape she can be heard screaming at him to let her go. >> are you going to let me out? i have emergency on the phone! oh, my god! >> reporter: less than one minute after calling police the fight is over. >> he's dropping me off. >> reporter: a police report was never filed. a spokesman for abdul said officers checked on her that day and she was fine saying arguments with loved ones can be heated. after the call was made everything was worked out. over the years the singer has become known for her off-key antics. >> hey, you know what, it is what it is. >> reporter: like this 2007 interview with a local tv station in seattle where she seemed intoxicated, slurring her words. >> what are you looking forward to this season? >> how about a lot of you coming? it's a wild party where you are. >> reporter: and highly

emotional on her reality show. >> with abdul, you cannot look away. it's that factor that makes you want to see her on tv. you hope they give her another show in spite of the craziness. >> reporter: in 2009 she said she's struggled with addiction to painkillers. the question now, will this incident further tarnish her image. >> the reason paula abdul seems resilient in hollywood is because the roles are shaped around her public persona and the zany exhibition we see from her. >> listen, any public ti is good publicity. >> reporter: embracing who she is and how the public views her. mara schiavocampo, nbc, new york. >> on a much different note coming up, italian meatballs the bobby flay way. first this is "today" on nbc.

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this morning in "today's kitchen" back to basics. italian meatballs and the recipe is based on "next great restaurants" where contestants compete to open their own restaurants. >> chef bobby flay will be an investor in the winning idea. welcome back. >> thank you so much. >> it's been a long time. >> thanks for renovating the place. >> we built a new studio and kitchen set. >> all for you, bobby. >> these aren't chefs, not even necessarily entrepreneurs. >> they can be in the food service business but mostly they are people from other walks of life. financial investors, schoolteachers. could be a sanitation worker, anybody. everybody at some point in their life, i believe, has had -- i have a great idea for a restaurant. because restaurants are so intriguing for people. we give people a chance to come

out and pitch us. >> you invest in it if they win. >> we can't take this lightly because they are putting up serious bucks for this. people are coming in and we are listening to pitches and we decide who to invest in. >> i think it's a great idea. we'll crown the winner in the spring? >> exactly. it's nine shows starting sunday night. >> what's interesting is the recipe, you will pitch the show but also do some cooking today. this recipe is inspired by one of the contestants. >> his name is joey, an italian-american. he's a financial consultant and he had an idea to create a restaurant around his grandmother's meatballs. easier said than done. every italian-american has a grandmother with a great meatball recipe. >> one meatball doesn't make a restaurant. >> let's go through the meatballs and we'll talk about how to do this. this isn't his. this is my idea of a meatball. i don't have his recipe yet. but it's veal, pork and beef. we put parmesan cheese, bread

crumbs, eggs and parsley. nothing crazy special about this. you just want to season it really well. >> why do you mix the meats instead of using one? >> you could, but it creates layers of flavor. turkey meatballs are a good alternative. we'll talk about that. you make the meatballs and put them into oil. you get them crusty on the outside. >> but not cooked through. >> then put them in the sauce. this is when the magic happens. you let them cook in the tomato sauce for 45 minutes. >> you remember the commercial "that's a spicy meatball" and the sauce has kick to it. >> i put crushed red pepper in mine. this has a good pepper background flavor. for the most part you want flavorful meat balls. >> to use a restaurant you have to use these in a lot of dishes. >> exactly. i like this two-tiered kitchen thing. >> does joey have an advantage here because you are using meatballs on the "today" show?

>> am i giving too much away? he has a good shot. i love the meatball idea, but how do you make grandma's meatballs into a restaurant. we are not looking for the next $75 a plate restaurant. this is not like the next mesa grill. we are looking for the next chipotle. $10, $11, fast casual, good, healthy cuisine that everyone can afford. here's an idea. i don't know if he'll be able to come up with it. this is the question. how does he turn it into a restaurant? one single subject, the meat balls. what can you do with them? you can make pasta, of course. you can make a salad for somebody that want as healthier rendition of meat balls. or you can put it on a sandwich. it makes one idea -- it creates a bigger menu for it. >> you're not giving this guy help here because you have shot your way through this and he now can't use this to help win the competition. >> no, no.

>> you're stealing his idea to create your own restaurant. >> he's a good character on the show. on sunday night i will make meatballs on sunday night to watch the show because i think it's a good way to kick it off. >> hypothetically speaking if joey wins and you make the investment, 80/20 and you get the 80? >> we haven't made the deal yet. the four of us put in equal amounts of money. we are not telling people how much. it's substantial. it's not just a couple of bucks. we really want the restaurants to work. and check this out, they don't get one restaurant. they get three. >> really? >> the day it's over they get three restaurants built for them. one in l.a., new york and minneapolis. >> you're serious. that's something. >> the idea is hopefully we'll turn three into 300. >> i love it. >> do we get to taste them? >> fire away. we have penne with meatballs. this is a meatball salad. >> i knew you would go for the healthy rendition.

>> where have you been for 11 years? >> around town, bouncing around. it's nice to be back here. >> that's good. that's a spicy meatball. >> i want to wake you up. >> bobby flay. catch the series premier of "america's next great restaurant" sunday on where, bob? >> nbc. >> that's right. up next the precautions you should take to avoid picking up germs on your next flight. first this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today's health" killing germs in flight. roughly 2 million americans fly every day and many leave the plane with a handful of new germs. what can you do to avoid that? michelle higgins is here from the new york times and the assistant professor of medicine at nyu medical center. good morning to you both. >> hello.

>> we have brought our personal germ factory with us. >> i have a cold. >> meredith isn't feeling well. what are we talking about here? surfaces or the air that we are breathing? >> the main concern is surfaces. there are so many common shared surfaces from the tray table to the overhead bins to the bathroom door handle. usually you have more than a hundred people in this cramped space and you're sharing these common touch points. >> a lot of people talk about the air. they say, okay, if the guy in 16-b or in this case the lady has a cold or flu she's exhaling and they can only recirculate and filter the air so much. >> unless it's the passenger next to you that's hacking, you know, that's not as much of a concern. it's more about when you touch something, the tray table or whatever that's been contaminated and you touch your face or nose. >> they filter the air pretty well. ironically the air in planes sometimes is filtered better

than office buildings. the air really isn't a concern. >> are we talking the typical common cold or something more serious? >> absolutely the common cold, the flu virus can survive days on hard surfaces like the tray table. also gastrointestinal viruses, things that cause food poisoning, diarrhea or mrsa, that really dangerous bug that people can get on skin. >> don't they swab tray tables and two-thirds of them had that? >> there was a study where a doctor from the university of arizona swabbed tray tables and the bathroom door handles, faucets and the places we are touching on a plane. they found noro virus, all of those things. the airlines try to deep cleanse the plane. every 30 days american washes all the seat covers and scrubs the bathroom.

they also turn over the planes in between flights and pick up. but, you know, depending on how long the flight is you're cramped in with about a hundred passengers. >> every 30 days isn't that often. >> she makes fun of me, ladies. i get on a plane, take a wet one sanitary wipes and i tend to wipe my armrest. if they have a controller for the lights and things, that and sometimes even the head rest. is that crazy or very smart? >> oh, god. >> that's a good way to protect yourself. >> you will say very smart. >> you might get side glances from a fellow passenger but to cleanse your environment of germs is one of the ways to do it. >> the best way is to wash your hands frequently. you can clean some surfaces, but you probably won't get every square inch. we touch our mouths a lot. we don't realize it, but we may

rub our nose, do this. make sure your hands are clean more than anything else. >> what about products? you're not necessarily pitching the products or anything, but people are inventive about this. >> right. because of concerns of h1n1 and bed bugs and these things people have been picking up while traveling they are new products that have come out. like purell and wet ones that -- those are probably with two of the ones that will help you. the face masks, the sick person is the one to wear that. that's a courtesy. >> you have to wear it every day. >> so they won't contaminate. if you are worried about a hacking seat mate, it may help. >> nothing better than washing your hands but be smart, almost brilliant, and wipe down your armrest with an anti-bacterial

wipe. thank you very much. >> thank you, ladies, very much. >> we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. versus toyota. which is better? [ male announcer ] why do so many car companies compare themselves to toyota? maybe it's because toyota has more hybrids on the road than all other automakers combined. like the 50-mpg-rated prius, the best selling hybrid in america. and prius was also named a best overall value of the year. plus, every new toyota comes with toyotacare, a complimentary maintenance plan with roadside assistance. we're #1 for a reason. come see for yourself. hurry in for the best selection. ♪

♪ ♪ hello sshe y in for the best selection. ♪s yocan be ♪ove u [ chuckl ] o ur morody ♪ ♪ can tell it's gon be ♪we day [ feouer ] wake up et th nut cios real. kissedith real honey for a mmy ta that's jusrit. and the 100% nural whole ai trea hea set. and the 100% nural whole ai because eyan help loyour choster call me crazy, but it seems to me both michelle and dr. raj. >> they were very gracious with

you. >> wiping down the plane seats. >> you would never do that? >> i have as i have gotten older. i'm more concerned. sometimes i use paper towels to open doors. i'm cautious about it. i don't get crazy and purell every five minutes like you guys. >> not every five minutes but who knows what people were doing on the plane seats. >> you know they cleaned it 30 days ago though. >> 1,000 passengers in that seat. have you ever left a restroom on an airplane without using the paper towel to open the door? >> i use my elbow. >> i'm not sure. i probably have. >> oh. >> i use my elbow or -- >> right after you used it, i think. i got sick. >> we'll be right back after your local news and weather. ♪

[ female announcer ] there's only one you. that's why sutter health created thedoctorforyou.com, where you can find a doctor based on criteria important to you. and because it's sutter health, you can choose a doctor from some of the most respected medical groups and hospitals in northern california. find your doctor today at thedoctorforyou.com. sutter health. with you. for life. good friday morning. it's 8:56. cal tran is in a state of fiscal emergency. the board is dealing with $30 million budget deficit and declared a fiscal deficit yesterday. it cut could include fewer

weekday trains ands is suspension of weekend service and a 25 cent fare hike. they're talking about south san francisco, belmont and santa clara and san bruno stations. changes would on intec on july 2nd. 8:57.

welcome back. update for 101. north bound jammed from 85 up to tully where we have this satellite on the side of the road. they're going to shut down 101 likely before 8:5 15 and you'll have this truck turning around, trying to get down to capital expressway. so, for the time being used 85 to 87. that is your avenue around all of this backup. meanwhile, over here, we're looking at the approach of the maze still slow, but the

accidents have cleared. >> pretty good out there. thank you for joining us. the "today" show continues next.

back now with more of "today" on a friday morning, the 4th day of march 2011. nice morning here in manhattan. we've got blue skies and some chilly temperatures. only in the 30-degree range. however, we want to thank these people for taking time and spending it with us this morning. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer, along with al roker. and sarah hanes is joining us in this hour while natalie is on assignment. nice to have you here. >> it's freezing out here. i like my couch gig better. >> so, you're whining right off the bat? >> that's a new record.

>> absolutely. >> 20 seconds. i take it back. >> incredible. nice to have you here. >> thanks, matt. coming up we'll be talking about money and the economy. everything from home prices to fashion prices. everything you need to know to stay in step with the ever-changing economy. we're going to have that for you coming up. the nation's unemployment numbers released this morning. good news. jobs were created. the jobless rate falling just slightly. we'll talk about all of that. also ahead, when talking about the housing market, experts predict housing prices could still fall another 25%. so, we are going to do house hunting to see how much money you can buy -- or how much house you can buy from a custom home on a texas golf course to a retreat in florida. barbara corcoran is here to tell us what you can get for $250,000 or less. if you liked what you saw on the red carpet last week on the academy awards we'll have some of the oscar-inspired fashions on a budget.

and we also have the baby who can't stop laughing as his unemployed dad rips up a job rejection letter. more than 5.5 million people have laughed along with this little guy. now he's brought his infectious giggle to our studio. you can meet him coming up. >> what a cute little boy. micah is very cute we have a lot to get to. ann curry is standing by with a look at the headlines. >> good morning, everybody. in the news the nation's unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level in nearly two years. the labor department reported this morning that the jobless rate fell to 8.9% in february. that's down from january's 9%, which means the economy added 192,000 jobs last month. it should be noted, this doesn't include the unemployed who have stopped looking for work. it's a day of confrontation in and around libya's capital city. rebels clashed with loyalists to moammar gadhafi on the outskirts of tripoli. teargas was fired at hundreds of

anti-government protesters who rallied inside the studio as foreign journalists were banned from covering the demonstration. two u.s. military planes have arrived on italy en route to tunisia where they will bring relief to 30,000 refugees who have fled from libya. egypt's minister of antiquities says he will not stay on in the new egyptian government because he can no longer protect the country's ancient treasures from being looted. he's appeared here to share his passion for egypt's history. he was associated with the ousted egyptian president hosni mubarak. with an imminent shutdown averted, the white house has now proposed $6.5 billion in spending cuts to keep the government up and running through september 30th. as for wisconsin, the governor there, scott walker, says h may lay off state workers starting today. after more than two weeks of round the clock protests. today, democrats will be end held in contempt if they don't

show up to vote. mazda is recalling more than 65,000 cars after finding spiders in vents connected to fuel tanks. the company says the spider webs could cause leaks and fires. although, it had not had any reports of any related incidents. you can find out more about this recall at todayshow.com. a former fbi agent who vanished in iran four years ago may be alive. secretary of state hillary clinton said on thursday that there are indications that 63-year-old robert levinson, who was working as a private investigator, is being held in southwest asia. she's appealing to iran to help find him. the sudden death of a high school basketball star is being investigated by officials in michigan. the 16-year-old, wes leonard, collapsed last night, minutes after scoring the winning basket in overtime to complete his team's perfect season. an amazing rescue when doctors simply refused to give up on a baby named ella anderson.

she wasn't breathing and had no heartbeat when she was born. for 45 minutes doctors worked to get her heart beating but decided the only way to prevent brain damage was to lower her body temperature to about 92 degrees by putting her in a special freezing suit. after three long, cold days, ella started breathing on her own. she's 10 months old now and is doing great. doctors say they don't entirely understand the cooling treatment but say it saves 50% of babies at risk of brain damage. so, that is a lovely story. it is now five minutes past the hour. let's go to al for a check of the weather. ma a>>zing, ann. thank you very much. now let's show you what's happening. for today we are worried about the system coming through the ohio river valley. warm air ahead, cold behind. we're looking at strong storms. we have flood watches all the way from western new york down into mississippi and missouri. we're looking at rainfall over the next 24 hours. the heavy rain will be in the

mid-mississippi and ohio river valley. anywhere from two to three inches of rain where we could see flooding. over the next 72 hours, look at the rain along the southeastern atlantic coast into the northeast. some areas picking up three to good morning to you. well, our temperatures have now climbed into the low 50s. we're going to end up in the upper 60s in many cities across the bay area. 64 in the forecasted high in redwood city. there is rain in the forecast for your weekend. we're going to a get a couple ne days out of it first. we'll see a couple nice days with temperatures toward 70 degrees, as a matter of fact. then the rain arrives as we head in sunday, dropping our temps to 57. rain on and off all sunday long. have a great weekend. ♪ time for "today's real estate." we are showing you homes on the market for $350,000 or less. from a classic colonial in massachusetts to a contemporary

log cabin in florida, "today" real estate contributor barbara corcoran joins us. >> good morning, al. >> we start in texas and my sister-in-law lives in spring, texas. that's right. 30 minutes from downtown houston, priced at 319,900. >> i will only say good things about that place. she must be a happy person. who wouldn't be in spring, texas? look at the front of the house. this is the picture of perfection. i don't think i have ever seen better curb appeal. >> what do you love? >> the edging on the sidewalk, planting beds and fresh mulch. even the shades on the house are exactly even. must be a neat person in this house. it's particularly beautiful. >> what else? >> i like the inside, too. look at the staircase. it's only one of two staircases. there is one not quite as big but there is a huge one in the kitchen that goes upstairs. a beautiful marble entryway. it has a large living room. it's rare that i will say a

house needs more furniture, but that's the loneliest couch in america. there is one big kitchen. almost like a whole house. i like the color of the kitchen. it's meticulous. hard to believe anyone is living there. the backyard is lovely. the deck, after seeing the big house, it feels miniature, but it is a good-sized deck. look at the mature trees. don't you think somebody spent a lot of time on the lawn? >> looks like a putting green. >> it's perfect. >> man, now to oklahoma. this is a three-bedroom house. 20 minutes from tulsa. priced at $339,999. >> this is a house in a town that's only 100 years old. the town used to bel called end of the trail. it was incorporated only 100 years ago. look at the front of the house. beautiful brick work. i think the miniature collection of trees in front is a little bit odd. it should be replaced by something bushier and fuller to

ground that house. but when you get inside i like the living room. you see the fireplace on the left. it matches the same stone facade on the front of the house. i think it gives it a unique feel and ties into the front of the house. the kitchen, again, looks like a ballroom. it's meticulous. what could you do to improve that kitchen? not a thing. there is crown molding throughout the house. that's a little table for the big room. you can see the size of the dining room. this house has elbow room to spare. that's just a spare family room, almost as big as most people's kitchen and living room combined. maybe they could move some of the furniture from that room into the big living room. in the backyard they have mature trees that could use a nice comfortable patio out back. that's the only thing wrong with the house. what a nice house for the price. it's only $339,000. >> let's go to the northeast. springfield, massachusetts, 90 minutes from boston. we have a contemporary colonial at $334,000.

>> there are 34 u.s. cities named springfield which creates confusion. >> where do the simpsons live? >> this is the first springfield, massachusetts. they called the name first. home to the basketball hall of flame -- you know -- >> hall of fame. >> thank you very much. there is a great trick they play on that house. i wish we could see it again. >> put it back up. >> can they do that? >> here you go. >> do you know why the house looks so big? they have miniature siding on the front of the house. see how narrow it is? if you have a small house and want a big first impression, underscale the siding. that's the neatest trick in the book. this is a two-story entryway with a big staircase. you can actually see the entire house. the rooms are all wide open. it's surprising to see how modern it looks. >> traditional on the outside. >> that works a little bit against the house. people like to see what they get. if the outside is traditional and the inside is modern it

takes settling in. there is a lovely kitchen. not the biggest kitchen, but it's workable. i like the black counters. it's sleek, modern, pretty and you can picture yourself having a meal there. there's the staircase that goes up and down through the center of the house. >> most do go up and down, right? >> yes, wise guy. don't point that stuff out. you will make me afraid to talk. >> oh, i doubt that! [ laughter ] >> i should be so lucky. let's move to knoxville, tennessee to look at an old english home. >> you're terrible. >> $344,900. >> knoxville used to be the underwear capital of the world. now it's respectable because it's home to university of tennessee. that house has old style front door and columns. it's a traditional house with a lot of peaks. it looks important from the outside. once you get inside the floors

are all in meticulous condition. >> is that too cluttered? >> a little bit. on top of the clutter i must say the darkness of the furniture and curtains suck as lot of the light out of the house. that's a bad thing when trying to sell. that's a beautiful room. burgundy is lovely for the walls and the wainscoting is lovely but if it was light the room would feel larger. in that room, dark stools, a little bit dark finish works against the house. you can forgive it because the house is meticulous. it's in toothbrush moving in condition. when we look at the master bedroom they have light colors. makes a difference. triple windows throughout the room. every bedroom in the house is almost as large as that. that's a good shot from the side of the house. and the backyard is plenty big. sits on a big acre. it's more than enough room for someone with kids. >> gainesville, florida. a contemporary cedar log home. four bedrooms, $349,900.

>> to me this looks like a fancy a frame house. if not for the palm tree i would swear it was in vermont. you couldn't picture this house in florida, but there it is. gainesville, florida. it's an a secluded acre of land. you can see the privacy with double height windows in the living room. it's like your own estate. it feels totally private, the land area. this glossy light wood floors that work well in the house that don't go with the gray couches. you would expect white couches. >> it's so contemporary. >> what the heck. the kitchen feels on the dark side because of the cabinets but it's not dark with the big door and windows. they have the screened in porch and they have bug season so you need it in florida. >> it has deer in the backyard. >> that's real deer.

>> do they come with the house? >> yes and they also eat your tulips. >> tough to unload this house? >> if it is in an area without a lot of contemporary houses, but it's in great shape and it will sell. >> for more information go to todayshow.com. barbara will stick around to answer your real estate questions on the website starting at 9:30 a.m. eastern like should you put in two staircases, one to go up and one to go down. still to come, how to deal with so-called mean girls. up next, look like a movie star for less with oscar-inspired fashions. right after these messages. when your eyes are smiling... you're smiling. and when they're laughing... you're laughing. be kind to your eyes... with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably...

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the most delicious yogurt imaginable. heaven on earth! discover dannon greek this morning on "today's style" red carpet looks for less. just last sunday the stars shined at the academy awards showing off some beautiful designer dresses. the gorgeous gowns, stunning shoes, high end jewelry. but they have a team of stylists and designers ready to help them get the look. how about you getting a piece of the oscar glamour without spending celebrity prices? to help us do it is jill martin, a "today" and "us weekly" contributor. good morning. >> good morning. >> some dresses are easy to knock off. as soon as we saw the reese witherspoon dress you knew that was something people would be inspired by. >> right. >> but there are other dresses

that may be more difficult. >> it's amazing the lookalike dresses. designers are waiting with a pad and pen saying which are relatable, which will people wear. some are just for show. with the academy awards you know some celebrities are coming out in those and you see right here -- and i know you like this dress. >> i love it, but i thing it would be hard to replicate that. it's so specific. >> the cate blanchett in givenchy. i thought it was outrageous but people loved it. >> i loved it. >> and anne hathaway changed eight times. >> i love this dress. >> she wanted to make a splash ending the oscars. i think there are a lot of dresses. mila kunis. >> beautiful dress. >> stunning and inspired by "black swan." this is not relatable. you won't see your daughter go to prom in this. there are others we'll see at weddings, proms and future events. >> let's take a look. in the coming weeks and months we'll see a lot of these.

some have been made already. one we all loved by sandra bullock, this beautiful red dress. she looked beautiful in it. this is done by a fancy designer. >> vera wang and she said to al that little louis loves red. this was gorgeous, made for her with the jimmy choo shoes and harry winston jewelry. the full look with everything here $415. look how pretty it is. she has a bustle in the back but this is detachable. you will see this a lot for holidays. >> the bow is detachable? >> detachable. this is a stretch satin. again, four to six weeks this will be out. if you log on now to fabiano.com you can preorder it. >> thanks, amanda. now we have the dress worn by jennifer hudson. a lot of people liked it. it has a big shape to it. who did this dress? >> this was versace. she lost 80 pounds. how fabulous did she look?

i thought the neckline was really low and that was unrelatable but she looked absolutely beautiful. 165 carats of diamonds. obviously no one can relate to that. >> how much does this cost? this is a beautiful look. >> the total look, hers was over $1 million. this look is $415 including the jewelry by roberta tiarella. obviously not diamonds but very similar. really looks a lot like it. her favorite color was purple. if you look at the purple shoes, i just think that's fun to incorporate color together. >> that's fun. rachel, thank you so much. beautiful job. another dress people like a lot which i happen to know is by l'wren scott worn by amy adams. a simple sheepish sort of dress. >> i thought it was beautiful. i didn't love it with the emerald -- obviously gorgeous but the cartier jewelry. over $1.5 million as she made

her way down the red carpet. she's a beautiful woman. this is interesting that this is one of the dresses they chose to replicate as a lookalike. this would be fun for holiday. you have to know where you're going and they changed it a little bit. her neckline was high. they made it lower and opened the back. >> kind of had some of the glimmer after armani prive but l'wren scott as well. >> right, the armani from anne hathaway. you have to know where you are going. >> do you like the necklace? >> they are both good investment piece. i don't love them together. i think they compete. a great lookalike. >> thank you. now we have the dress from reese weather spoon. she wore it so beautifully. very simple. >> again, armani prive. this reminds me of julia roberts

from 2001. when she walked out i said this is a dress we'll see bridesmaids in and also at proms. her look was over a million. this look is $375. you can preorder it now at prom girl. >> this is worn by shelby. it's beautiful in the back. do you mind turning? i want to see it in the back. just has a cute little bit in the back. it's adorable. we want to thank you all again for wearing the dresses. we are really starting to see the shape that we'll see over the next several months as we look for dresses. >> late spring into summer. these are the looks you will see. you can look like your favorite celebrity for under $500. they are over $1 million. >> jill martin, thanks for helping us do that. coming up, a baby who is a barrel of laughs and is all the rage on the internet. he was cracking us up in studio. you will meet him after these messages. couldn't wait to skate on that ice.

what was i thinking? but i was still skating on thin ice with my cholesterol. anyone with high cholesterol may be at increased risk of heart attack. diet and exercise weren't enough for me. i stopped kidding myself. i've been eating healthier, exercising more and now i'm also taking lipitor. if you've been kidding yourself about high cholesterol, stop. lipitor is a cholesterol-lowering medication, fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. lipitor is backed by over 18 years of research. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. let's go! [ laughs ] if you have high cholesterol you may be at increased risk of heart attack and stroke. don't kid yourself. talk to your doctor about your risk and about lipitor.

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but our favorite thing is eating totino's pizza rolls. but our favorite thing is eating totino's pizza rolls. ♪ we're the kids in america ♪ oh, oh, oh good morning, everybody. time is 9:26. i'm brent cannon. fighting a public debate with university of california leader. he says he will rally with workers at noon at ucsf to block the state senate from confirming crane to board of regents. ee blasting his piece in the sunday chronicle. he questioned if public employees should be unionized. ye says the piece is an attack on working families but crane tells the sacramento bee he misunderstood the piece. he thinks uc workers should have collective bargaining rights because they're not protected by civil service laws. crane says, though, he objects

to unionization for public workers who already have those protections. awe squabble is resolved this morning. instead of riding along with sqauw valley closure of a popular silverado chair lift. they fought back in a high tech way. powder to the people. squau will reopen that chair lift this morning giving skiers and snowboarders access to the entire mountain. thousands of people got involved posting comments and creatingn the internet and creating a true snow ball effect. a

welcome back and good morning to you. we'll see temperature today really warm for this time of year. about 10 degrees above average. we're looking toward 67 degrees in places like santa rosa and o is s gatos. the rain arrives on sunday. if you're trying to make those outdoor plans this weekend, sunday is not the day. saturday looks much better. 70 degrees and cloudy

conditions. let's check your drive. a lot happening. >> yeah. now is not the time to take northbound 101 off the 85 split. jammed up approaching tully road because of a truck carrying a satellite on the back of it. it's been there since 6 a.m. they're going to shut count northbound 101 at some point toon. 85 over to 87 is your alternate route. they'll close down northbound 101. the truck will get down at capital expressway so they're shutting down that off-ramp as well. stone valley road, a slow spot off walnut creek interchange. more local news coming up in half an hour and the "today" show returns.

any evidence we found would be inadmissible. attorney/client privilege. it ruin any case it could ever have. >> matthew mcconaughey in his new movie "the lincoln lawyer." terrific book. looks like a terrific movie. heartthrob headed back to familiar territory with another legal thriller. he will be here to talk about that. all coming up monday on "today." >> he will be here? >> yes. >> okay. >> bestill your heart. >> no, everyone. hello. >> right. >> and yours. >> meantime, coming up in this half hour, you will take a look at "mean girls." >> if you think you left mean

girls behind in high school guess again. women feel like -- when women feel like they are being from social groups no matter the age they often are the first to exclude. a vicious cycle that can ruin friendships. we will take a look at that and how to deal with. >> it we like to think we move past that. yes. let's take that on. >> let's talk about this infectious laugh we have been enjoying all morning. this kid is a amazing. this individual video on y youtube. we have in the studio, the child the baby, and his parents talking about what was so funny. it makes it a better story the father had gotten a job rejection and was ripping it up.

that's what makes it an even better story. also, did you know it is national pound cake day? >> yes, banks are closed and kids are off from school. >> it is a big deal we are going to show you three different ways to use pound cake. lester holt and jenna wolfe who actually herself laugh as lot when you shred paper like that. [ laughter ] >> guests will reject us. >> the funny thing is that was my script. >> what's coming up? >> i have no idea. >> that was my paycheck. anyway, coming up this weekend, charlie sheen from the custody battle over his kids to his hit sitcom being canceled for the season. we will have what's next. plus, saving money at the supermarket. can you tell the difference between name brands and generics? we'll show you the surprising results from your experiment. >> and the mystery of amelia earhart, she vanished more than 70 years ago.

will new dna test finally reveal what happened to her? and driving without seeing. for those who are legally blind, i'm talking you can't see anything a at all. it's a reality thanks to amazing technology. i got behind the wheel of a car and blindfolded myself to see if i could use the technology. it turns out i couldn't. that and more this weekend on "today." >> you struggle driving anyway. >> i struggle anyway. >> but apparently some people can use it. >> it's amazing technology. you go through senses to let the driver know to turn right, left. speed up. >> it's unbelievable. [ paper ripping ] [ laughter ] >> it was that simple. >> that's comedy! timing, baby. let's roll the video. show you the maps. for saturday, wet weather. lester holt is here until thursday. heavy rain in the northwest and

lower gulf. risk of strong storms. wet weather into western great lakes and eastern great lakes, i should say. sunday, sunday, more heavy rain along the east coast with the possibility of flooding. more rain and snow in the pacific northwest. mild in texas. warm in the southwest. the frigid conditions return to the plains. good morning to you. well, it's mild enough for this weather this morning. you don't need the heavy jackets. temperatures are in the sdpifts we'll end up in the upper 60s. 66 in san jose. 673 in san francisco. a few high wispy clouds, that's all we're expecting. we'll are rain on sunday but today looks good. tomorrow warmer. 70 degrees saturday. and that's your latest weather. >> thanks, al.

now to "today's royal treatment." we have a contest where we are sending a lucky viewer and a guest to england during the week of the royal wedding. to enterer send us a video. here's what one viewer sent us. >> with all the royalty i'm constantly surrounded by -- >> mom, can we have more tea? >> sure. >> mom, can you please fix my crown? >> of course. >> you're probably assuming i'm already invited to william and kate's wedding. the surprising fact is i'm more of a lady-in-waiting -- waiting for you to take me to london. >> that was creative. >> that was cute. >> very nice. >> the winner will get two first class tickets on british airways to london during the wedding of kate middleton and prince william. so get out the camera and tell us why london is calling you. be creative. the details, head to todayshow.com. >> up next, no one likes to be

left out. we'll tell you how to deal with the mean girls in your life after this. plain rode away on lion's mane. where plain met fruits with strangely names. such wonderful things they did contain. a shot of life to a hungry vein. the captive beast who broke the chain. and there upon that fruited plain is where plain became what plain became so much more than more than plain. plain will never be the same.

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excluded others. well, the truth is no one likes to be excluded, especially women. a study in "psychological science" explains why. gail saltz is a "today" contributor. good morning. >> good morning. >> i love that we were saying this is something not exactly surprising. tell me more about how the study helps us understand why women desire the inclusion more. >> i think it's not surprising to women out there the results but what's interesting is they set up the study to look at men versus women in terms of how they react to competition. and what tools they use. what they found is that women, much more than men chose to use the tool of seclusion when being set up to compete. they would grab another partner, pull them in and use it to push another woman out as a way of winning the race, if you will. men were more individualistic. maybe they would partner up, go with the group, be an individual. women much more used this

technique. you see it in the world. when women are set up to compete they use exclusion, which is cruel and hurtful, and they are not necessarily always doing it with that purpose in mind, but they do it to win. >> it reminds you of "men are from mars, women are from ven venus". >> the social relations are important. it points to the fact that why this happens has to do with hard wiring and with nurture and things that happen. the hard wiring piece is that evolutionarily, women had to stick together to survive. men could hunt, bring back the bear and whatever. women depended on each other to be a community, help with child care, feed each other. if you were shunned from the group it was a death sentence. we are probably hard wired to participate this way socially. but also honestly, our environment has an effect. when you watch your mother judge and be mean and do that kind of

thing or you hear it from her or see in our culture whether you look at tv shows -- >> you were leading me to the next one. when you look at rea al ti shows like "the bachelor," "jersey shore," "real housewives" this is people being nasty to one another. what makes people want to watch this? >> unfortunately it resonates was. we know we shouldn't do it but we feel compelled and want to do it. so we like watching others do it. we have a little bit of sadism in us. everybody has aggression. everybody likes to watch somebody else stick it to somebody else. unfortunately, as you can see it's proliferated in our culture and it's affecti ining the youn generation. it's affecting girls. >> how do you teach your daughters, how do we impart on young women -- i don't have one -- but it's more important to include and lift women up

rather than beat them down for social status? >> i have three daughters. i think about this a lot both professionally and personally. it's really the model you present. you cannot say do as i do. be kind, be nice to your friends but do something different. you have to walk the walk. if you show them by being inclusive you add more brains to the mix. you add more things to the mix and that actually helps you. it's a way of helping you. the kindness begets more kindness. looking at yourself in the mirror and saying, i'm a good person matters a lot. that integrity, you are giving them a gift for life. >> we have all been in a situation that's tough. how does someone deal with it when they are treated meanly? >> if you recognize what's going going on and that it's probably about the situation and not personal, attack it head on. go to them privately, not in public and say, this must stop. i don't like it and i don't want you to do it again. then turn and leave and don't engage any further. call it a day. >> thank you so much. this is helpful for all of us

out there. coming up, what's so funny? meet the adorable baby with the infectious laugh. first these messages.

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internet by storm. it was all prompted by his father ripping up a job rejection letter. take a look. [ laughter ] [ ripping ] [ laughter ] >> earlier this morning matt and meredith spoke with the mcarthur family, parents marcus and amanda and baby micah and started out by asking how the video turned into a worldwide sensation. this is actually the first video we ever posted to youtube. i did it a few hours after i taped it. i thought, this is so good. instead of sharing it just with family and friends i'll post it on youtube and share it with everyone. >> you had no idea micah would react this way.

this was purely an accident. >> that's right. we had never done the paper ripping thing at all. he was next to me on the couch. i was opening the mail. got a job rejection letter. i'm finishing my ph.d. in american history. applying for jobs. he started laughing next to me which is great. lifted my spirits. so i thought, okay, grab the camera and tape it to send to mom at work. he just went crazy. >> first time dads always have the camera ready. >> absolutely. >> 5.5 million people at the latest count. >> five now? >> i think 5.5 million have watched it. does that surprise you? >> oh, of course. it's been up five weeks now. three weeks into it, it had 1,013 views. we thought that was great. what's going on? we don't know that many people. 5.5 million doesn't make sense. >> is he over the joke or will he still respond? >> it's hit and miss. we can try it. sometimes it's hilarious. other times --

>> not so funny. >> he looks at you and thinks, missouri on. >> he likes sneezing, by the way. >> yeah. >> mie micah! [ ripping ] >> try this. ah-choo! [ baby giggling ] >> we finally found someone to laugh at meredith's jokes. >> have you found a job? >> no. i'm still searching for a job. >> he'll definitely get one, for sure. >> probably a better chance of him getting one. >> the obvious question, are you thinking of baby food commercials and things like that? >> it would be great to build his college fund in some way and, you know -- >> pay for my college as well. >> we wish the family every luck. coming up next, three delicious desserts, pound for pound. this is "today" on nbc.

♪ candy and cake >> this morning in "today's kitchen" in case you didn't know, it's national pound cake day so we are celeb brating with is sara lee chef catherine. i thought you just put on berries and whipped cream. >> you can but we are making lemon tiramisu. this is limoncello. mix it up a little bit. this is mascarpone, lemon curd, marshmallow fluff and heavy whipping cream. we'll move this down here and you can help me build. use your favorite pound cake, a half inch thick slices. brush it with a little bit of

li liqeur. >> so it absorbs. >> you can throw it in a baking dish and spread it all over so you don't have to make them one at a time. after this is done take the next one, brush it again on top with a little bit of the liquor mix, bar distingui garnish with berries and lemon zest. >> and back here we have frozen pound cake pops? >> cake pops are the rage now. you can do them with the kids. it's really easy and i will just cut these out. >> put them in the freezer. >> yes. that will keep the pound cake on the stick when you dip them in chocolate. >> and then you have things to coat it with. >> it's fun. toasted coconut and they're pretty. >> you can put it back in the freezer. >> let them set up.

>> and what are these? >> s'mores. everyone loves them. >> marshmallow fluff? >> you take a baking dish, cut up pound cake, toss in mini marshmallows, chocolate chips and your favorite peanuts. >> happy national pound cake day! >> i came to be your taste tester. >> oh, yum. >> we have hoda and kathie lee coming up next. california should be proud. we were the first to ban smoking on airplanes. the first to have smoke-free bars and restaurants. all while saving over $86 billion in health care costs... and over a million lives. we've done a good job. but even if you were born today, you'd still grow up in a world where tobacco kills more people... than aids, drugs, alcohol, murder and car crashes... combined. we have a lot more work to do.

good morning, everybody. it's 9:56. i'm brent cannon.

a majority of b.a.r.t. riders say they're getting to their destination on time but they want to be cleaner. one of the biggest complaints is about dirty seats. riders also did not like a 6% fare hike and that may be why customer satisfaction slipped from 84% to 82%. b.a.r.t. board members say they'll use surplus money from last year to clean up the trains. if you live near an underground pipeline, you'll know about that. it's part of what came out of a three-day meeting in a federal hearing in washington. pg ampt & e are sending letters to anyone that live within 2050 0 feet of a transition line. and work is under way to make shutoff valves automated, replacing automated shut jovl valves. they plan to complete their investigation into the deadly san bruno blast within the next six months.

let's check your friday and weekend forecast. >> we're looking good this morning. our temperatures are in the 50s. we're at 53 degrees in hayward. forget about the jacket. you will not need it today. temperatures are going to climb into the upper 60s. 66 degrees is the forecasted high in san jose. and 67 degrees in santa rosa. more mild on the peninsula. 63 in san francisco. tomorrow we'll be warmer. sunday, on and off showers. let's check your drive, a lot happening. >> going to get better quickly. over here south bay looking at northbound 101 just had lanes reopened over the last half hour. they did shut down that roadway, move that big rig off at capital expressway and that's why this expressway still affected. it should improve over the next 20 minute. slowing toward stone valley road but it should have been cleared 20 minutes ago. bay bridge, light backup. more local news for you in

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captions paid for by nbc-universal television from nbc news this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hello, everybody. it's march 4th. you're going to have a great weekend. we're glad you're with us today. this has been a long week. >> it sure has. well-approxima well-put. it's try day. we want to try a little something. it's a mixed berry mint mojito. curtis is on the show with us today. >> it's about time.

>> this looks like a fruit cup with a little bit of liquid in it. >> it has that great curtis look to it like everything does, so inviting like curtis himself. it's delicious. >> i can't get anything in the straw. mine is stuck with all the stuff in there. is it good? >> yes, and good for you. delicious. >> i see all the promos for america's next great restaurant that premieres sunday at 8:00 p.m. on nbc. >> we love our curtis. >> we sure do. speaking of strauntds this is a thing you don't want to know. it's all the secrets from the waiters. i'd rather not know what nare doing back there. >> the single worst story is about chinese food. not going to say another word. >> before we get to it -- marie has not been the same since i told her that story. >> i don't like thinking about it. it makes me have at that feeling inside. waiters don't tell you some of

the things that happen behind the scenes. >> this is from frisky.com. >> yeah. they dislike when you send a meal back. they don't like when you spend something back. >> you have right to if it's not cooked. >> they don't like frozen drinks because they're a pain in the neck. >> they're labor-intensive. >> he they don't like when you order tea because they have to bring the box of tea out and you have to choose and pick take so long to pick which one. >> it would frustrate me, too. >> they don't like when -- what they do when there's a bunch of -- you know the trays of desserts they go by with a fork and take a forkful and go back in the back. i worked at a restaurant once, and i was surprised at what goes on in some of the restaurants. the place i worked for, i worked the salad bar. that was my area. they would have you take lettuce from the night before because it's in big vats and put it in a sink and add something called fruit fresh or something like that, which ate away the brown portion. yeah.

then you put it back in the hopper. that's what happens. so it would eat off the brown, so then it looks green. >> how good can it be if it eats brown off stuff for you? it can't be very good for you? >> i don't think it was. i got paid. >> your conscience didn't bother you a bit? >> no. i hated the salad bar. they gave you big vats of big cans of beets. you had to open them with the big can opener, and to drain them -- i have memories of the red and i don't like beets since then. >> they're really good for you, hoda woman. >> that big can makes you gag. >> my first job in los angeles wh trying to be an actress and singer i worked as a hostess in el torito right there in the valley. i worked there three days. >> did you get canned? >> no, i got a job in vegas singing, so i immediately had to

go. everybody's trying to be an actress and singer out there. >> that was it, three days? >> three days. i just had to look cute, and that was the hard part. then i had to lead people to their tables. >> you were out floin front. i was in the back. >> with juice running down your arms. >> i was very busy. this is a youtube sensation. four guys got together and love that song "bad romance" so they decided to remake it. these are guys from kentucky. >> love them already. >> it's called "bad romance." let's watch their little video. ♪ ♪ caught in a bad romance

>> they are good. look at them. they are good. it's got a gazillion hits like they always do. >> they're adorable. don't like the hair. the grizzly bear look, but they're adorable. they're young kids? >> they look older. the one in the front looks older. it is try-day, and we like to try things. we don't know about this one, but we're going to try this one. amir moore is a belly dancer. she works with britney spears and moby and she's a belly dancer. hello. >> you're going to love it. >> put these on. >> that doesn't matter. >> we don't have a lot of room here. >> i got to get -- >> bring it over. >> type it on your hips and not on your waist low. great. nice. you want to put the tie on the

side. beautiful. >> come on. bring it up here. >> okay. >> great. bend your knees. >> so far it's great. >> this is really fun. what do we do? >> look how mine drags. >> it's great. >> all right, all right. let's do this. >> bend your knees, tuck your tummy in, put your feet together, closer. and shake your hips from side to side. good. speed it up? >> yes. small push with the hips. good now. lift the rib cage up. >> get the rib cage up, hoda. >> that's as high as it goes. >> shoulder, shoulder. do a nice easy one. bend your knees. it's really healthy. >> i hear it's really good for you. >> bend your hips and make a

figure eight. >> why not. >> you look natural. you look great and natural. >> i'm already working up a sweat, hoda. >> do a hip circle. >> this is a great one called snake arms. you want to do shoulder, elbow, wrist. shoulder, elbow, wrist, shoulder, elbow, wrist. >> i'm feeling the burn, yeah. oh, yeah. >> amir, you are very good. >> thank you. you look really cute. we don't like standing next to you. >> friday is funny, hoda woman. >> i thought that was it. >> here it is. >> mr. jones, i reviewed this case very carefully said the divorce court judge and i've decided to award your wife $750 a week. that's very fair your honor, the husband replied and every now and then i'll try to send her a

few bucks myself. >> i didn't get it. >> the problem is i have to keep these clean. >> there aren't that many clean jokes outs there. >> what do you mean? >> the court is going to pay her -- >> oh. it's time for the other -- >> i knew that wasn't the funniest one. >> our favorite part of the program is bobbie's buzz. >> i promise you can wear them. >> where did you get na? >> at a thrift store, and it was $2. this week i have adorable finds for the little ones. pedi-pet makes cute sneakers but washingable. so if they stomp in the mud, you can go from the play yard to the washing machine. they're so cute. i'm so obsessed because there's nothing better than shoes. really cute idea, kids cuffs,

like mary pop ppins said it wil help the medicine go down. it will flavor it with these crystals. >> that's a smart idea. >> this is for little girls and big girls tonight. it is created by three sisters and it's sketches of dresses waiting for your imagination. >> that is a great idea. >> it's a great coloring book. buy this for your little girls. a few little girls on my list have it. >> that little baby was so cute. >> thank you, darling. still to come, we go 3, 2, 1 live with sara haynes standing by the crowd. >> they cannot dance. we'll have results of the makeovers right after this. my diet? well yesterday i had an apple turnover.

i always keep it in the house. that and boston crème pie, white chocolate strawberries. [ female announcer ] yoplait light -- over 30 delicious flavors at about 100 calories. babe, what are you doing?! ♪

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it's time for amazing tra transformations. >> here is louis vacarri and "today" and "us weekly" contributor jill martin. >> how was the crop today? >> it was good. it was a great day, and we found two really smart women that are here on spring break, so they're having a the lot of fun. we wanted to make them look as smart as they are. they're both brilliant students. >> okay. let's meet the first one. miss lauren dancer is 20 years old from grand rapids, michigan for spring break. she's had that exact same look as long as she can remember. she wanted a fresh, new look. let's take a listen.

>> hail, hail to michigan the champions of the west. go blue! >> my alma mater almost forgot the song. i'm glad we can give you sheez spring break makeovers. why does lauren deserve this? >> she's getting ready to graduate this april. >> and graduating early. what are you going to do? >> i'm not sure yet. >> whatever you're going to do, we're going to make you look hot. are you ready to go? >> yes, yes. >> so, lauren is here with three friends, elise who we'll see later, stephanie and niyiri. here's lauren before. lauren, let's see the new you. >> oh. >> hello. >> looking good. girls ready to take off your blindfolds? take them off. >> oh, my god. wow.

>> lauren, you want to see yourself. >> turn right here. >> wow. >> that is so -- that is sexy and flirty hair, baby. >> i love it. tell you about the hair. >> this is jennifer at her best. this is just smart, sheik, and she had very fine hair. she cut it shorter and gave it more texture and body and it's instants style and wash and wear. of course, to make it really snazzy i really just brightened it up, added highlights, i mean, she looks great. >> what do you think? >> oh, my god! >> they're like totally delirious. >> tell us about the dress. >> obviously, not wearing in in michigan, but whether she graduated we wanted to give her a fun flirty dress to match her hair. this is french connection from macy's. >> great jewelry. >> lauren, join your friendses over there, because we have another friend of yours coming

us. >> elise reamer is from ann arbor, michigan. let's hear her story. >> michigan makeover number two and no it's elise's turn. why does she deserve it? >> she works so hard and is busy all the time. she deserves a makeover to do something new for herself. >> you're going into your senior year. what do you think mark will think? >> i'll be very excited. >> mark, we'll make her very sexy. are you ready to go? >> yes, very excited. >> they're all waiting. don't turn around until we tell you. look at elise before and bring her out now. >> wow. >> you know college kids today. are you ready to see your

friend? all right, kids, look around. >> wow. >> oh, wow. >> do you like it? >> yeah, i do. >> it's really cute. tell us what you did. >> again, this is jennifer lawrence. she left the texture. she controls it with the two clips to give her that natural veronica lake waves. i made her hair dark, because weptsed to go for a sexy look. the blonde didn't really work with her hair. they needed to open up her eye by the way. >> what do you think of her as a brunette? >> she looks great as a a bruin snet. >> still in michigan they're starting to interview, so i wanted to give her a few pieces to use during the interview

process. great blazer fitted from ann taylor with the shell underneath. >> good, good work. >> thank you, ladies. up next, it's time for hoda and i to take questions fromm te crowd live. that crowd is dangerous today. >> look at the dancing. >> that man next to sara cannot be trusted. with my guilt.:15, [ female announcer ] new special k cracker chips. 27 crispy chips. 110 delicious calories. mmmmmmm...good meeting. same time tomorrow? [ female announcer ] find them in the cracker aisle. i see a bag and think... i could have a chip. yeah right. that's why they're called chips? [ female announcer ] new special k cracker chips. 27 crispy chips. 110 delicious calories. another cracker chip? don't mind if i do! [ female announcer ] find them in the cracker aisle. oh, bayer aspirin? i'm not having a heart attack. it's my back. it works great for pain. [ male announcer ] nothing's proven to relieve pain better than extra strength bayer aspirin. it rushes relief to the site of pain.

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we're back with our special weekly series "3, 2, 1 live with sara haynes." then hoda lies. let's go to sara at the msnbc.com digital cafe. >> patty has a question about teenagers. >> i'm here in new york visiting with my teenage daughter. what's the fun thing to do? >> how old is she? >> 18. >> shop. she probably would like wicked.

i saw a fun show the other night that's just spectacular. >> she should not see that. >> shield old enough to see priscilla and million dollar quartet. >> go to the standard. it's a cool place. it's a cool restaurant. go to the stand. >> there's naked people in the pool. >> awesome. >> thank you. >> good luck with that. >> next up we've got lisa from california, and she has a question about spring break. >> hi. me and my friends are here on spring break, and we want to know what your craziest spring break story was. >> i went to oral roberts university out in tulsa, oklahoma, so on spring break winter home to see my mother and father. >> i did the typical cancun sdaish have you done the cancun one. >> "girls gone wild." check it out. >> don't listen to anything she says. >> hoda could say dancing. she probably danced on spring

break. >> always. >> now i'm here with shelley from iowa. she's got a question about interviews. >> what was your favorite interview you've done over the years of doing broadcasting? >> there were two. the first one was my first one with paul newman, and he was so kind to me. he turned around and looked at me with those eyes and realized that i was, you know, new at this and could not have been kinder to me. and the other one was with audrey hepburn, because she had just come home from a flight all night long from ethiopia where she was working with unicef. i guess what i loved so much about both those people is she both used whatever their success was in life, their celebrity, to make a world a better place. those are my two favorites in all these years of interviews. how about you? >> mine was lil john yesterday. he was the best. >> next up we have glenda from

california. she has a question about nbc. >> hoda, i was wondering how long you've been with nbc? >> i've been with nbc, i think, 12 years. >> you don't remember? >> i don't. i think it was 12 years. i was working at ""dateline"" most of the time. we just finished three years. >> april 7th it will be three. >> for "dateline" for most of my career and kathie lee for the last few. >> thank you for your questions. >> those were hardly difficult at all. >> i knocked the hard ones out. these girls need a break. >> all right. thanks. still to come, we have hot deals for spring break getways. >> we get ready for the other seasonal event, spring cleaning. >> we're cooking with curtis after this. yikes, this color just sucks the life out of me.

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♪ this was a lifelong dream, really, fd oranmie r [ female announcer ] b taldbehind real california daiy at realcaliforniamilk.com fd oranmie r ♪ good morning, time now is 10:26. there could be a geel between san jose firefighters and the city. firefighters will vote on a new contract this weekend. the firefighters union has agreed to a number of concessions to help san jose balance its budget and avoid layoffs. the new contract asks the firefighter to take a 10% reduction in benefits and compensation and to pay more for their health care. if the firefighter agree with what the union's done, then the next deal could set a tone for a new contract between the city of san jose and the police officers. san jose city leaders might try to close down more than 90% of their marijuana dispensaries.

there are more than 100 clubs operating in san jose but the city wants to bring that number down to about ten. neighbors are upset because many pot clubs are around parks. others argue legitimate clubs should not be punished because others don't pay by the rules. >> you can't let a couple sour apples ruin an entire bunch. >> city leaders say the medical can bus brings in much needed revenue. they started taxing them 7% this week butege laled they argue le marwijuana is a bad idea. [ female announcer ] here are some great reasons to switch to at&t. [ spokesman ] we make it easy for you to compare at&t to cable. so what's the difference? at&t's just a better bundle. see for yourself.

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well, we are looking towards beautiful conditions today. some of the nicest weather we've had in weeks. 67 in los gatos. temperatures will range from the mid to upper 60s. even warmer for your saturday. then the changes arrive as we head into sunday. low pressure bringing about some rain storms as we head through probably sunday into the early part of monday. but, hey, we'll get a couple nice days out of it. first, 67 degrees. 70 tomorrow with increasing clouds. >> well, that's good news for the forecast and good news for south bay. 880 shows slowing. 101 clear. 20s and 30s past the racetrack. once you get to the toll plaza, no major problems. meter might register on but there's no meter for them. good stuff at toll plaza and san

mateo bridge. >> things, mike. thank you for joining us today. the "today" show continues coming up next. have a great friday, great weekend. we'll see you on monday.

beach. there's a national park nearby. >> it looks like it's lovely. how is it so inexpensive? >> it's panama. nobody has discover this had yet. we've spread it to the world now. >> the u.s. virgin islands and another nice, warm destination. what you do you like about that? >> these are not your average tentsed camps. they're up in the trees with beautiful views of the water. it's so relaxing. this is really a fantastic get-away and $135 a night. >> so great for families. >> really good for families and couples. it's a place anybody would love. >> hawaii is another one. >> still never been there. >> you're kidding? you've been to china. that's further. >> i have a place absolutely worth the trip. this is the hilton hawaiian village. it's an amazing resort. they have 20 restaurants, and

it's great for families. they do ukele lessons and hula lessons. >> it is great. >> this isn't very conventional. the dove mountain. what's that area? >> it's in the sonoran desert. you'll have warm weather. great for adults and kids. you can go hiking. they have an amazing tennis hav package for $214 a night where you have unlimited tennis. it includes your breakfast every day. just a really quiet respite from the winter. >> is it important to start to book the flights right away? >> ir think it's important to book flights. they're booking up fast with spring break. everybody wants to get away right now. >> if they do the arizona one, it can be very, very chilly in arizona in the mornings and the evening. people think it's desert so they don't pack correctly. >> right, it does cool off. anywhere you go it's important to check in to find out what's

good to wear on a trip. i've been caught by surprise going someplace in june and all of a sudden it starts snowing. you never know. >> there are dress codes at certain hotels and things for different restaurants. you should be prepared for that. >> one of the the last destinations is mexico. that's always a great spot. guaranteed good weather. >> this is right near cancun. it's a brand new hotel called the palmar. they have an all inclusive rate for $132 a person for adults, about half that for kids. it's a fantastic option because they include all their meals, there's kitchenettes in the room and laundry in the rooms, beautiful beach. really also a great, quiet hide-away. >> perfect. >> great idea. >> thank you very much. congratulations on your marriage. >> thank you. up next after spring break accidental housewives, she's an accident waiting to happen. julia sends your dirt and germs

packing with tips for spring cleaning. >> what is she doing? >> we'll be right back with her. [ female announcer ] mousse temptations by jell-o. ♪ four decadent flavors. 60 calories. it's me o'clock -- time for jell-o.

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every home needs a seasonal spruce-up. you don't want to spend time cleaning the house. i hate cleaning, period. >> so it's time to send dirt and germs packing with some tips and tricks your mother never taught you. julia is going to, she's a spring cleaning guru and author

"the accidental housewife." nice bananas. >> i knew they're one of your favorite activities, eating food. they're also good for your face instead of botox. >> it takes a lot to give that up. >> what you want to do is use the banana peel to clean the dust off of your plants, and at the time it will shine them. >> it's natural? >> it's until. look how nice. try not to disappoint you. so this is -- >> oh, my gosh. >> banana peels. talk about ecofriendly. >> i like that. >> maybe i should quit there. there's something that are dipped whether you come home from the supermarket. not necessarily anything you get. >> the ones in your cereal are

nasty. >> high in protein. use a straight rubbing alcohol or any kind of alcohol you might be drinking that day. >> i'm offended right now. >> you would bring it inside and cover it. this is a can you be board, and we get rid of them. once you bring home any of these dried flowers, put them in air tight bags so they can't reproduce. >> you can put the packaging right in a sealed container and put them in your fridge or freezer, which is best. >> one thing i put in the fridge. >> not everything. i've been to your apartment. >> put it right on top, because these little buggies. the flour? >> they don't like sulfur. >> i don't like it either in any flour. >> these are little tricks. >> clean the vacuum.

>> it's our workhorse, but we have to clean it, too. to get rid of all the little hairs. >> let someone else do it. >> you would cut those little hairs or threads right off. don't cut those -- don't ruin the vacuum. it's sort of like dental floss. go over it with a disinfecting wipe. what are we going to do here? use a gold, old broom to clean your vacuum hose. you put sticky take or any kind of tape you have, double-stick or scotch dtape and you put it down. you can do that to get anything that's clogged, and that will actually clean it. anything that's on there that might be dislodging it -- what, what? >> the guys are like children. >> you boys are sick.

you're disgusting, and you you know who you are. >> anthony is the ringleader, and don't drag our sweet jimmy mott into that. >> all right. next, another thing we forget to do -- >> hold on to that. want to take it for a ride? take a ride somewhere. >> shout it out. go on. >> another thing, your toothbrush holder. you change your toothbrushes -- >> the holder are disgusting. >> they are gross with bacteria and mold. what you want to do is in your sing -- this one is good. use hydrogen peroxide and water and leave it your bathroom sink and let it soak for an hour or so. here's another idea. take a shot glass -- i'm not asking you to drirnk. just put some listerine or water mouthwash in there and leave your toothbrush in there between

uses. >> it looks so pretty in juryou vanity. >> the dishwasher is the last thing. >> no one cleans the dishwasher. >> you can take a disinfecting wipe and go around it. then you can use vinegar which is an all around multi-cleaner. what i like is this. this is tang. you can take a trip into space that day. put it in your dispenser. >> are you kidding? >> would i kid you? put it into your dispenser and make a few glasses for yourself, and i like to dish and dine. multi-task. do the tang in an empty dishwasher full cycle and you can poach your salmon, too. >> it's true. >> i thought the point was to clean the dishwasher. >> it is. but you do this in a tightly -- close this up with a little wine capers you don't have to cook. at the end -- >> you're not kidding.

>> i'm not kidding. there's no dishes. try it. it's nice, clean fish. >> some cascade left over in there. >> why do you put tang in there? >> it helps to remove -- do you girls not trust us? i'll eat it first. >> and tasty, too. >> isn't it good. >> a little butter. >> not as good as the dog food we ate last week but it's good. >> i haven't found a way to clean with that. >> thank you so much. up next we have a new show to talk about and lots to tell us. >> he's so darn cute. we missed him. love legendary covergirl lashblast? 50% more bristles for big bold lashes. make your look even bolder with smoky shadowblast. 6 brilliant shade duos. a unique dual ended stick for colorful smoky eyes. smoky shadowblast plus lashblast. the smoky eye made easy.

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he's back! our beloved friend and chef kurtty stokur curtis stone has a new show premieres sunday called

"america's next great restaurant. t ". >> he's a judge and competitor. now he has something yummy to prepare for us. >> tell us about this whole deal. it's cool. >> the incredible thing is everybody has a good idea for a restaurant. i'll get this started while i talk to you about this. this is mushrooms in olive oil. >> we're making a beautiful pasta dish with cream, ricotta and mushrooms. everybody says you should open this and you should open that. we sort of decided we'd come up with an idea to give just everyday americans the opportunity to own and run their own restaurant chain. >> why not just a restaurant? >> i asked the same question. i'm putting up the money. >> are you really putting up the money? >> yeah, and it's bobby flay, myself, and steve els and arinaa garcia. the four of us put all the money

in, and we're -- you've never seen four people want to share their work so bad. >> oh, my god. you people have to watch. poor curtis can't be out on the streets. >> out on the streets. >> i'd take you in. frank wouldn't like it, but i would. >> did it get mean and nasty among the competitors? >> we have every kind of idea you can imagine they came up with. the weird, whacky and wonderful. it got competitive between the investors between the contestants because it's their money. that's always a bit of a difference. >> you got skin in the game. it makes a big difference in how you judge things. >> you know the winner, but you won't say who it is. >> but you're happy? >> we're happy. >> good. you're adds olives. >> we have mushrooms sxol lives. you kookt the mushrooms until they release their moisture. you get the intense flavor. >> what kind of mushrooms? >> they're portabellas.

>> mushrooms. please pay attention. >> fresh, black pepper. >> pepper. >> i put a little in because the salt flavors it but helps to draw out the moisture. >> is your love life as good as your career is going? >> better than my career. >> we like that. >> good. >> one for curtis. the mushrooms, you cook them until they get quite dry. then you add your cream. >> that's heavy cream, right? >> heavy cream. this is a hearty, wintery kind of dish. you cook that right down until -- >> it wouldn't be the same if you made it with lactaid milk? >> i wouldn't try it. >> really? thanks for thinking of me. >> what i'm going to do next is try herbs and i have mint. >> i don't like it when you add mint. >> next i take my pasta out of boiling water.

you want a little bit of that pasta water, so bring that over. it will freshen the dish back up. >> why did you choose this? >> i like it because the mushrooms and cream get in it. each pasta is designed to hold a different type of sauce. a creamy sauce is great with it because you get all the beautiful richness into the pasta. i finish it with ricotta, which is delicious. >> i can't have it. >> this is a good meal. >> you're burning over here. >> so give that a good stir. you see the ricotta warms up from the heat of the pasta. you don't have to serve it piping hot. you have a good stir-around, and then you turn up the heat. >> it's ready to go? >> ready to roll. >> have you seen that youtube thing of the naked chef? can you do that for us? >> he's wearing -- curtis he has just an apron on. >> really? >> it's the funniest thing. >> during a live interview.

>> if you agree contact us on our website because if you'd like to see curtis naked cooking with uve 30 seconds. >> if you get 100,000 hits i'll do it. >> 100,000 hits curtis will do it naked. we don't have standards and practices anymore, right? thank you. what is this we're having, baby? >> this is a cocktail. >> love you. and your show premieres this sunday night on nbc. >> congratulations, curtis. >> we love you. so glad you're happy, baby. >> we'll be back with more of "today" on nbc.

time for miss sara. what's up? >> our facebook wall is blowing up. i guess curtis offered to cook naked with you ladies if we got 100,000 hits. >> i bet we have 102,000

already. >> it's getting up there. it's going. stay tuned. >> next week we have a lot of crazy fun. a pizza toss, ice carvings and fat tuesday. >> it's dawning on me that curtis is much taller than the naked chef. we have blair underwood and star jones and shirley jones. bye. hey, everybody we're so glad you're here. >> well put. >> they don't know what they've got. >> we'red, whacked behavior. enough about hoda's weekend. >> my vintage bambi -- whoa, i don't need to do that. >> come on. ♪ i'm perfectly good at it ♪ i don't care about it ♪ sticks and stones may break our bones ♪ >> you look beautiful.

♪ i may be bad but i'm perfectly good ♪ ♪ and it's sex in the air ♪ i don't care i understood it ♪ >> let's drink to that? >> okay. >> let's drink to that? >> okay. >> drink to success. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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